| Abstract: | In this essay Stefan Neubert argues that John Dewey was a philosopher of reconstruction and that the best use we can make of him today is to reconstruct his work in and for our own contexts. Neubert distinguishes three necessary and equally important components of the overall project of reconstructing Deweyan pragmatism: first, to make strong and productive use of the tradition; second, to establish new theoretical links in order to develop new conceptual tools; and third, to reconsider implications of Deweyan pragmatism with a view toward new articulations of human life experience. Neubert then discusses three recent publications in the field of Dewey scholarship—Larry Hickman's Pragmatism as Post-Postmodernism , Inna Semetsky's Deleuze, Education and Becoming , and David Granger's John Dewey, Robert Pirsig, and the Art of Living —as examples illustrating the importance of each component. During the course of this discussion, Neubert develops some conclusions about the complexity inherent in the comprehensive task of reconstructing Dewey's philosophy today. |
