In the course of a long life beginning before the Civil War and extending to shortly before the election of President Eisenhower, John Dewey (1859-1952) made large contributions to philosophy and to American public life. Dewey wrote extensively for both an academic and a public audience. He developed a philosophy of pragmatism and contributed significantly to American education. He was a socialist and was publically engaged througout his life in addressing the issues of the day. In particular he criticized the President Roosevelt's New Deal for what Dewey thought was an inadequate response to the Depression and a misguided attempt to preserve capitalism. He supported United States participation in WW I but shortly after the end of the War, he became an isolationist. He retained this isolationist stance until Pearl Harbor.

Dewey's thought resists easy summation. His writing style, particularly in his philosophical works, was long, winding, obscure and difficult to follow. As did many thinkers in the 20th Century, Dewey changed and modified his views with some frequency during the course of his life.

Alan Ryan has written an exellent study of John Dewey which explores Dewey's life, the influences upon him, his philosophical writings, his political activism, and the rises and falls in Dewey's reputation after his death. The book is somewhat dense and repetitive, but this too is a characteristic of the writings of its subject. Ryan writes insightfully in trying to place Dewey as philosophically somewhere between the despair of European existentialists such as Heidegger and Sartre and the English-American analytical philosophy of the 20th Century which denied that philosophical thought had a distinctive contribution to make to human intellectual endeavor.

I thought Ryan was good in discussing Dewey's early Congregationalit upbringing and his falling away from Christianity. I also thought Ryan placed good emphasis on the Hegelian idealism which Dewey adopted early in his career. The book could have used a fuller discussion of the nature of Hegelian idealism. As I read Ryan's book, I thought that Dewey retained even more of a Hegelian influence in his later thought than Ryan recognized. Dewey's emphasis on holistic thinking and on the relationship of the community and the individual remains Hegelian -- a naturalized Hegelianism as Ryan points out.

Ryan discussed Dewey's educational work at the University of Chicago. This is the aspect of Dewey's work that is best known. As Ryan points out, Dewey is often criticized for the shortcomings of American education. He is blamed, probably unjustifiably, for a lack of discipline and academic knowledge in too many American students. Ryan does point out, in fairness, that Dewey's actual educational theory was obscure in many points and undeveloped in specifics. It is hard to know just what Dewey had in mind, but it surely was not laxness and a deference to the wishes of young children.

I thought the strongest aspect of Ryan's book was his discussion of Dewey's mature philosophical writings, in particular "Experience and Nature" "A Common Faith" and "Art and Experience." In these works, Dewey tried to develop a philosophical pragmatism which was based on science and secularism. He denied the existence of an objective independent truth which science tries to capture and also denied subjectivism. Dewey recognized that human experience could be viewed from many perspectives and he struggled to explain how many of the goals of the religious and artistic life were consistent with science and secularism. He wanted to show them as perspectives equally important to the scientific perspective and to disclaim a concept of truth as "out there" rather than as sought,developed and made through human social activity. Dewey's position is difficult and, to his credit, Ryan does not simplify it. Ryan's exposition is challenging and made me want to read some of Dewey for myself.

A great deal of Ryan's book is devoted to Dewey's career as a public intellectual commenting on the issues of the day, as he saw them. Dewey travelled to Russia and China, investigated the Russian show trials of Trotsky and others, supported American participation in WW I, and advocated social liberalism. Ryan discusses Dewey's positions fully and intelligently and explores how Dewey's issues remain alive in the late 20th (and early 21st)century. The discussion of American political life and of the role of ideas is fascinating even though I frequently did not agree either with Dewey or with Ryan.

Ryan recognizes the paradoxical nature of the work of this American thinker. Dewey was a philosopher who critized sharply thought and reflection separate from action. He was a secularist who saw the importance of religion. He recognized the nature of industrial society but stressed the importance of art and culture. Dewey was, as Ryan points out in his conclusion
something of a visionary of the everyday. Ryan writes (page 269): "It was his ability to infuse the here and now with a kind of transcendent glow that overcame the denseness and awkwardness of his prose and the vagueness of his message and secured such widespread conviction. .... He will remain for the forseeable future a rich source of intellectual nourishment for anyone not absolutely locked within the anxieties of his or her own heart and not absolutely despondent about the prospects of the modern world."

Ryan, from a British perspective, offers a detailed biography of Dewey the philosopher while enveloping the reader in the context of Dewey's varied and shifting America. Ryan also wrestles with the issues America wrestled with and continues to struggle with today. The work blends nicely the intricacies of Dewey's tremendous ideas with detailed and insightful references to Bertrand Russell and contemporary Democratic politics in America. The greatest contribution Ryan has made is detailing the arguments, philosophy, and problems Dewey felt significant without epitomizing and reducing Dewey as many have done since Dewey rose to prominance at the turn of the century at the Chicago Univeristy Lab School.

Educators, graduate students in education and philosophy, politicians, and anyone genuinely interested in American thought will be inpsired by Ryan to dig further--to read more by Dewey, to read more of the history of American ideas not just events in America

ON DEWEY provides a clear and concise overview of John Dewey's leading ideas. I particularly appreciated the attempts made by the author to place Dewey's views in the context of the main trends in the history of philosophy. In ON DEWEY, Dewey's ideas are presented as solutions to long- standing philosophical problems; hence Dewey is brought into dialogue with his predecessors. This will be especially helpful for those readers who are unacquainted with the history of philosophy and have little background in philosophical argumentation.

All in all, ON DEWEY is engaging and well-written, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in getting a grip on Dewey. I think the book would have been even better had the author included chapters on Dewey's views on art, religion, and education. Although these topics are mentioned, their centrality to Dewey's philosophy warrants greater attention, in my opinion. So, whereas ON DEWEY is an excellent introduction to many key themes in Dewey's thought, it is not entirely comprehensive.

Robert Talisse's ON DEWEY is an excellent first orientation into John Dewey's philosophy. The small book is designed for course use and is especially suitable for the undergraduate level where it can supplement a wide variety of texts by Dewey. ON DEWEY is part of a series of books, each of which is dedicated to a particular philosopher. Within the realm of American philosophy, the series also includes volumes on Thoreau and Rorty. In addition, volumes on Peirce, Royce, and Jane Addams are in the works. The clear and accessible style of Talisse makes ON DEWEY suitable not only for upper level courses in American philosophy, but also for general introductory courses in philosophy. The central theme of Talisse's book is that of Deweyan reconstruction. After an introduction that sketches Dewey's life and career, including his social activism, Talisse starts off with a discussion of Dewey's reconstruction of philosophy. Subsequent chapters deal with Dewey's reconstruction of experience, his reconstruction of knowledge, and his reconstruction of society. Each of the chapters begins with an exposition of the traditionally held views, after which Talisse shows where, how and why Dewey differs. The book is concluded with the "prospective conclusion." Talisse urges the reader that to takes Dewey seriously, one should not approach him as a dusty scholar who seeks to fill in some details, but one should follow in his footsteps by consistently applying democratic intelligence to each and every aspect of human association. In ON DEWEY, Talisse does a great job in showing that Dewey is not an ivory tower philosopher but deals with important issues that touch actual people's lives. The book is written so as to engage students to think the issues through for themselves, as opposed to blindly regurgitating Dewey's views. The use of philosophical jargon is kept to a minimum (with the exception of "aleatory" which is largely left to the student to figure out) and Talisse presents familiar examples of everyday life for the student to work with and contemplate upon. It is no small feat to condense the thought of a great thinker in eighty pages (and keep it readable!) without making inadmissible concessions. Of course, not all areas in which Dewey was active are equally represented. Not much is said, for instance, of Dewey's aesthetics, nor of his philosophy of education. However, even for a course in such areas Talisse's book is likely to give the student a good idea of the direction from which Dewey is coming. It is slightly unfortunate that all references in ON DEWEY are to the thirty seven volume Dewey edition, which might not be easily accessible to many undergraduates, especially not to those who study at small colleges. It would have been preferable had Talisse, where possible, relied on more widespread sources, such as the two volume THE ESSENTIAL DEWEY.

Cornelis de Waal Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

This review first appeared in the Newsletter of the Society for the Advancement for American Philosophy (SAAP).

Dewey, a profound contributor to the field of education, displays some of his beliefs of the best methods to teach children in The Child and the Curriculum. To begin Dewey's discussion, the child's world is examined. In this examining, a sense of how the child's world operates is formed. Children learn through the process of experiencing things, life. In this book Dewey, finds that the schools in which children are educated contradict their very learning style by nature. "The child's life is an integral, a total one," (p.183, 1902). The way the school disseminates the curriculum is not the most optimal method for students to learn.
A child's life collects all the experiences, thus the child learns. Dewey postulates a change in the formula for teaching children, the curriculum. Why change the curriculum? As Dewey states, children need to be intertwined in the process of doing. Children will learn by doing, making clothes to wear, furniture to sit on, and growing food to eat. The idea of the separate subject area is a key area Dewey analyzes because of how children learn. When a child wants to build a chair to sit on, they examine disciplines across the realm of mathematics, science, and language skills while building the chair. Instead of separating this activity into different disciplines, it is woven throughout the activity. Throughout this book, it is stated that their needs to be a link to what the child is learning and what the child sees as a benefit to themselves.
As an educator, it is important to be exposed to varying ideas as to how the school systems have functioned and are functioning today. There are ideas in this book that a pre-service or current educator should consider during their teaching career. Are Dewey's ideas relevant for today's society? I believe this is a question one has to answer for themselves, construct your own meaning.

From a high school student's point of view, reading Dewey couldn't provide something else than hope for educational systems, most of which, despite the efforts of making a school a more living atmosphere, organizations still remain too mechanical in learning procedures and detached from social applications regarding the capabilities they serve.

Originally from Cameroon, I've had the opportunity to explore three educational systems from different cultural influence each. It was an advantage that surely opened my mind to different perspectives by interacting with different cultures in different social contexts, but especially carried me out to realize how the so called "education" - in general, but in high school in particular - shortly addresses fundamental needs as much individually as socialy, since people tend to ignore its essential functions or misunderstand the concepts it involves, precisely because their implications are so general that they shouldn't be analyzed in separated contexts, school and society, as far as they are, with respect, one a component of the other but the other being the expression of the first one in a long term.

By observing both components as a whole, Dewey proposes a model that doesn't necessarily apply to actual issues or give factual solutions, but at least redefines "education" by integrating inherent aspects to human nature in its double acception - as a group as much as an individual -, which reveals the values traditional education still mostly hides.

I delibarately took the initiative of question what high school didn't explained to me, and probably often forget to ask itself. In what ways education serves people in the aim of blooming personally and socially ? which role schools are therefore supposed to play and in which patterns ? The questions are so simple that the answers appear obvious. In fact, they should be when the problematic is carefully put. this is the reason most people can get it wrong and sometimes don't even try to question what is already established. Dewey was an excellent starting point for my research and I recommend it to EVERYONE, not especially those concerned with education because it shouldn't be a matter of a restricted segment of people. Education is everywhere. Sorry for my english :)

I grew up listening to my parents talk about Harry Truman and the 1948 election. No one thought Truman had a chance and everyone went to bed believing Tom Dewey would be the next President. Boy, was everyone wrong, from the reporters who covered the campaign, to H.V. Kaltenborn, the famous radio announcer of that era, to the new political pollsters. All were left with egg on their faces when Truman won over 300 electoral votes and swept to victory.

This book demonstrate the importance of the farm vote switching mightily to Truman as the campaign wore on, and how Dewey was impossibly arrogant and stopped active campaigning on mid-October, thinking he had the election sewn up! Most of all, this is a tribute to the plucky Harry Trumam, who never conceded, never doubted he would win, and throughout his famous whistle-stop tour, gave 'em hell. A stirring account of the agreat campaign.

Truman Defeats Dewey makes a persuasive case that the 1948 election was a watershed event in American political history and began the modern political era. An associate professor of history at Xavier University in New Orleans, Gary Donaldson presents a fresh and informative examination of how Harry Truman took the 1948 race and what Thomas Dewey did (and didn't) do that resulted in his losing the election. In summary, Truman did a better and more effective job of connecting with the American public whereas Dewey was fairly inept as both a public speaker and in understanding/presenting the issues that concerned constituent voters. Truman Defeats Dewey is a superbly written and presented treatise that will prove a welcome addition to 20th Century American political science and electorial history reading lists and reference collections.

Fast-paced and fun, this is a pretty good choice for fans of the really GOOD wooden ships & iron men stories. Lambdin isn't technically much of a writer and characterization is minimal but the pace is great and the author not only really seems to know his Age of Sail history. The anti-hero aspects of Lewrie make a pleasant break from his rivals who are generally perfect. Not as much of the fun bawdy sex in this one as in King's Coat, but its a plus. Comparisons to Patrick O'Brien or even C.S. Forester are embarrassing and stupid--this stuff is fun to read but Mr. Lambdin falls well short of the master..

I love ship action stories, especially spiced with humor and romance. But this one, my first Lambdin, was almost impossible to read because of all the errors. if the author can't get straight the difference between lie and lay, at least the editors could hire a copyeditor! And all those weird dialog tags--people just don't shrug, spit, glare, or hiss dialog. Every one of those is like a needle in the eyes, throwing me right out of the story, and totally unnecessary. Ditto the mistakes in foreign languages--though those are more understandable than the juvenile errors in basic English. I won't buy any more of these new, only used, unless someone tells me the writer finally got acquainted with a basic grammar and style manual.

It is early 1782 and Desperate, 20 guns, having 'retreated gracefully' from the Yorktown debacle is now in train with Admiral Hood's fleet running down to the Caribbean. Unfortunately, the Frogs are chasing under the command of the wily de Grasse, who didn't get where he is by avoiding encounters.
The action starts soon enough and de Grasse exploits every possibility to bring the Rosbifs to task, but fails miserably, leaving Desperate to pick off a 28 shadowing a message schooner. In the aftermath of the battle, Alan Lewrie is appointed master of the prize. The result of Alan's actions is unexpected promotion into the brig Shrike, a Dutch-built 12, as 1st luff under a wily old sea-dog as mad as a hatter.
Alan can't keep his mouth shut or his breeches buttoned-up, which leads to some unfortunate and raunchy interludes, affecting his earlier career, and, it seems, his future.
Not a series for those new to the genre, or with no nautical knowledge, as there is not the untarred landsman colleague to explain the intricacies of naval terminology to, as in Aubrey & Maturin.
But ... the above- and below-decks descriptions are among the best I've read, although Mr. Lambdin does rather overdo the vernacular and accents a bit too much for fluid reading, however it does add an extra touch of reality.
Luck plays its part again in the aftermath of another debacle, this time to good effect as Lewrie meets Nelson and receives his second promotion in a year.
A raunchier series than most, but well worth reading.*****

While "Kings Captain" won't replace O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series for literary quality, it does rise towards the latter with its political intrigue. Lambdin has given the reader a fascinating look at what living conditions were like in England in 1797, and how they set the stage for the Royal Navy mutinies at Spithead and Nore. Newly promoted Captain Lewrie comes across as a younger, more earnest Jack Aubrey in this fine Napoleonic era yarn. Those who mourn O'Brian's passing and seek new naval adventures may not be disappointed at all in the latest installment in the Alan Lewrie naval adventure series.

Alan Lewrie, at the end of the last novel (Jester's Fortune), was withdrawing from the Adriatic as part of the British withdrawal from the Mediterranean in late 1796. This story skips forward and begins with the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in early 1797. Admiral Jervis is depicted out of character, praising Lewrie without promoting him. Jervis had the authority to promote officers he approved of and would have immediately done so if he approved of Lewrie. The real life Peter Puget received such a promotion from Jervis, even though he arrived after the battle (Puget was known from earlier accomplishments).

After a return to England to put the Jester into the dockyard, and a reconciliation between Lewrie and his father, the main part of this novel deals with the mutiny at the Nore after Lewrie is promoted and takes command of a frigate. He is confronted by an old enemy he cannot identify, and a crew split between mutineers and loyal men. The story contains little action at sea - when Lewrie is not on land, he is mainly aboard ship at anchor dealing with the mutineers. A side issue arises when someone writes a poison pen letter revealing Lewrie's past indiscretions. Overall, the novel is more about personalities than about naval action. It covers a relatively short period of time in 1797.

For novels more action-filled, covering the same time period (including the mutiny), the reader is referred to Richard Woodman's, "A King's Cutter," and C. Northcote Parkinson's, "The Fireship."

As a huge fan of this series, I was a bit disappointed in the last installment (Jester's Fortune) as I felt there was just not enough of the action or womanizing that made the first few novels so much fun. King's Captain also suffers a bit from this, but in place of the action we get to see Lewrie mature some. Rather than one novel after another in which the character stays the same but just rises in rank (which, considering how good the first books were, wouldn't be all that bad) Lambdin is showing Lewrie turning from his rakish former self into a family man, even if Alan does chafe a bit in the presence of his own children. I could wish for a bit more of the old ramcat in the future, but King's Captain did keep my interest, and I enjoyed seeing how Lewrie dealt with mutineers, and how he reacted to a bit of his past coming back to haunt him. Now that he's been made post, and has a new frigate to command, perhaps we will get to see Lewrie in a few more adventures that bring him the prize money he always seems to need.

"Dewey's Laboratory School Lessons for Today" is the book to read if you have any concerns about education. If there are children in your school falling between the cracks because they don't have the fifteen point discrepancy in their test scores to recieve help, then this is one of the books of hope.

Dewey believed that the teacher should be the facilitator who functions indirectly by structuring and supplementing the educational evirononment and serving as a equal participant with the students in the educational process. He believed that one of the ways thinking and genuine learning took place was through problem solving.

Laurel Tanner did a wonderful job describing Dewey's Laboratory School. Child-Centered classroom activities are a must. A child's interest should be a part of his motivation to learn.

I can see characteristics of Dewey's school in our lab schools in Durham, North Carolina. These schools strive to be rich in applied learning. We use theme-related activities, hands-on experiences and developmental eduacation is emphasized. Since we have stop offering a lot of vocational courses, students are not graduating from school which leads to students dropping out. Dewey's Laboratory School seemed to have a curriculum for all. The role of the teacher, student, administrator, parent and community was spelled out. Tanner reflects on today's educational goals with the goals of John Dewey.

Reading this book enables me to look at education in John Dewey's day and compare it with education today. If we were in a
race for education today, the hare would represent today's education, and the tortoise would represent John Dewey. We know who won the race.

Dewey's Laboratory School, Lesson for Today by Laurel N. Tanner is a must read! Tanner provides individual schools, school districts and teacher a road map to success. She gives us insight to Dewey's educational ideas, as well as, discusses how Dewey along with his staff explored and implemented these ideas. They were able to create, with much success, a cooperative learning society for their students, which many schools are trying to recreate today. The style in which Tanner compares the practices and policies of Dewey's Laboratory School with todays schools is excellent. She compares how Dewey used children's curiosities and life activities that were familiar to them as spring boards to construct curriculum that helped children learn important concepts. Tanner takes this example and talks about how schools today, which are searching for models to help improve their schools, are missing the opportunity to take advantage of this vauable research as a way to apply children's curiosities to guide curriculum. This comparison, along with others in this book, forces us to take a closer look and evaluate as administrators and teachers our school's practices and policies and to see if they demonstrate the lessons learned from Dewey's Laboratory School.

Politicians and the general public spend endless hours debating educational policies and instructional practices. While many of these discussions focus on the future and how our educational system will or will not adequately prepare students, it may be worthwhile for the debators to pause, read Tanner's "Dewey's Laboratory Schol: Lessons for Today," and discover many answers to today's questions.

Tanner reveals that many of today's "buzz-words" for educational reform were not "buzz-words" in Dewey's school, instead they were ideas put into practice. Tanner's book is not a simple recount of a school's operations in the early twentieth century. She compares and contrasts present day instructional practices with Dewey's Laboratory School's practices.

Tanner's in-depth research of the school's records and teachers' notes provides a comprehensive report of the inner-workings of this experimental school. Tanner does not merely summarize the underlying beliefs and practices of Dewey and his teachers, she also provides direct quotations from Dewey's writing and his teachers' reports. These accounts allow the reader to not only step inside Dewey's school, but also inside the minds of the teachers as they reflect on their instruction and learning.

The most poignant section of Tanner's book is the final chapter: "Lessons Learned." In this chapter Tanner reviews and highlights what educators and policy makers can learn from Dewey's school. I recommend that the contents of the final page in Tanner's book ("Some things to look for in a school") be read and reread by all educators and policy makers. Tanner's list of 25 lessons learned would be an excellent detailed mission statement for a school, school system, and the entire nation.

Don't worry! You will not walk away from this book feeling like we are miles away from meeting the "Lessons Learned" from Dewey's school. What you will find is motivation to work towards fulfilling more of the "Lessons Learned" in our schools.

I read a lot of military fiction, and this is by far the best British naval series I've ever read. I would call this "Flashman Goes to Sea," since it has the same sort of ribald approach and a scoundrel hero who succeeds in spite of himself. Written by an American, the series, especially in the first few novels, has a distinctly American point of view. I read with interest the review from the writer who was critical of the "homophobic" bias of the author. While I'll admit that the protagonist, Lewrie, is a homophobe, this is not out of character for him, as he has suffered from the perfidies of his half-sibling, who is gay, and at the time he seems shocked and disgusted by his apparently homosexual superior officer, he is still shy of his 20th birthday. I, on the other hand, liked the descriptions of life aboard ship; the strong battle scenes; the fact that Lewrie is not the perfect little hero; and the glimpses of British Colonial life in both America and the West Indies. For anyone who likes naval fiction, I heartily recommend this series. I have just started the series by Patrick O'Brian, and the Lewrie books are far more "modern" and exciting, at least to me.

This entire series is incredibly addictive. Having just finished reading the series for the third time (lacking the oft lamented "The French Admiral"), I eagerly await Lambdin's next yarn. Alan Lewrie, just cast out of his comfortable life in London, thrives after getting his sea legs. Although this book and the entire series has more adult scenes than you will find with Horatio Hornblower, Lewrie's personal flaws make this a much more believable and enjoyable tale. Lambdin uses nautical and social terms of the day and paints a thorough description of life onboard a warship in the late 18th century. If you are fascinated by life during the Age of Sail, or just enjoy historical fiction, this entire series is a must read.

I must congratulate mr dewey on these series of books,
After reading all of C.S. Lewis's Hornblower I must say how much ive enjoyed reading this book.
Its such a refreshing change to read about a character that has some of the normal flaws that every one of us has,
Rather than the same ole officer and gentleman that we generaly read in the Rammage,,Aubry,,Hornblower sagas.

It reads a lot like A Cornwell novel more than a lewis i found it very funny and also packed full of action which kept me turning the pages.

Alan Lewrie is no Hornblower hes a cad and a bit of a ladies man but hes more of an intreasting character because of it.
I will be collecting this series of novels and following mr Lewries career through the Royal navy.
I hope my dewey will eventualy get around to writing about a character in the USN of the same period i would love to see that.
I was born in Oxford England and now live in the USA and served in the British Army with the Royal Green Jackets the same regiment as Bernard Cornwells Sharpe.

A great book for proposing social engineering in education but otherwise nothing new except mis-application of the scientific method to non-science areas. His concept of education is socialization. If there is something great is his theories it is well hidden and not supported by scientific or non scientific studies..

A must for any serious student of education and philosophy

Dewey's classic work, although tedious at times, is a cogent and landmark exposition of progressive educational theory. Democracy for Dewey was both a means and an end to the building of a good and just society. In this regard he sought to develop strategies and methods for training students through learning and discipline to become socially responsible adults and conscientious citizens concerned with the rights of others and the common good and to be equipped with the knowledge and technical skills to be productive members of society in the context of our modern industrial world. Dewey is truly a giant not only of modern educational theory but of progressive humanitarian thought generally. Those who disparage him in a knee jerk fashion out of a misguided effort to trash the "liberal establishment," like the Intercollegiate Scholastic Insititute (ISI) which named "Democracy and Education" as one of the five worst books of the 20th Century, have radically misconstrued Dewey's views which merit serious study and application in practice. Dewey was truly one of the great Americans of the last century of which all people of good will can be proud.