Becoming John Dewey: Dilemmas of a Philosopher and Naturalist

As one of America's "public intellectuals," John Dewey was
engaged in a lifelong struggle to understand the human mind and the nature of human
inquiry. According to Thomas C. Dalton, the successful pursuit of this mission
demanded that Dewey become more than just a philosopher; it compelled him to become
thoroughly familiar with the theories and methods of physics, psychology, and
neurosciences, as well as become engaged in educational and social reform. Tapping
archival sources and Dewey's extensive correspondence, Dalton reveals that Dewey had
close personal and intellectual ties to scientists and scholars who helped form the
mature expression of his thought. Dewey's relationships with F. M. Alexander, Henri
Matisse, Niels Bohr, Myrtle McGraw, and Lawrence K. Frank, among others, show how
Dewey dispersed pragmatism throughout American thought and culture.