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Proquest Dissertations THE THEORY OF GOOD IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF JOHN DEWEY A THESIS Submitted to the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Ottawa in. PartialfFultfJi-ljment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, by Rev. Francis Thomas 0»Grady, L.Ph., Scarboro Foreign Mission Society. ^ »IBliOTHfcQU» •&&iAB'Bl*>tL UMI Number: DC53541 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI® UMI Microform DC53541 Copyright 2011 by ProQuest LLC All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 FOREWORD Th* puSh&d%*--'©r tne present thesis is to examine the validity of DeweyTs confcept of moral cood. xhi determination of his system of valuation" is not an easy task because in Dewey*s philosophy we find an aversion to classification of the branches of knowledge. Therefore it is useless to study his ethical theory, alone, or his metaphysics in conjunction with ethics.. The-problem is much more complicated. Epistemology has engrossed Dewey's attention to such an extent'that it finally absorbed his Whole philosophy." He calls his theory Instumentaliw* It is not speculative. In fact it. is ciosely Connected with conduct. Consequently the study of Instrumentalist- must precede the study ©f his ethics. Care should be taker! to understand his notion'6f truth, as "its prac­ tical character involves his theory of goocness. Insi.rurnentalism and trfith will*-help understand Instrununtalisir, inc roominess, Dewey*s relfgibus and'sdeial values help explain the broad application of'his views. Then goodness in the individual"as found in character will show what raakes the good man. Comparison with Thomistic actions will show an utter dir«rgeiice of-flcTfpoint and'coneltisions. Thomism has stood the test of seven centuries. On the basis "of its "theories along, Instrumentalism cannot last. It is hoped to prove this in convincing fashion. Table of Contents Jtroduction - Jirt 1: Dewey* a Theory of Knowledge Chapter 1 - Necessity for Genetic Method Page 1 2 - Background: Temperamental and Educational 10 3 - Experimental Psychology * 15 4 - Marriage and The Middle -Vest 36 5 - Interest in Ethics « 40 6 - Influence of William James ...» 50 7 - Darwinism. « 63 8 - Existential Matrix • 74 9 - Contextualism , 90 10 - Instrumentaliam and Truth 136 (irt 2: Dewey'a Theory of Good Section 1 - Hla Theory in General Chapter 11 - Religious Values 182 f!2 - Social Values 192 13 - The Inclusive Criterion: Democracy 209 Seetion 2 - Goodness in the Individual Chapter 14 - Nature of Character 228 15 - Role of Education. 244 16- Instrumentaliam and Goodness 258 fart 3: The Thomlst View Chapter 17 - Thomistlo View of Law and The Good....; 276 18 - Thomlstio View of Conscience and The Good../. 285 19 - Criticism of Dewey's Views.,.:*. 292 Bibliography 299 1. Chapter 1 - NECESSITY FOR GENETIC METHOD Any study must begin with a plan. The type of plan may vary depending on one's purpose and, to a degree, depending on the subject-matter. The involved subject- matter of John Dewey's philosophy presents a really difficult problem when it comes to analysis because, like Topsy, it "jest growed." There was no definite plan or direction in the beginning and after fifty years of growth, it is rather complicated. Dewey has a definite philosophy as is evident in his numerous writings but the popular vocabulary used obliges one to be cautious indeed in any analysis. Although the words follow the dictionary spelling, very frequently they are used in a unique way; and to add to the confusion, Mr. Dewey is not always consistent. As a result he has been called "foggy, foggy Dewey", by so illustrious a writer as Paul Elmer More. Let the ordinary reader beware of an obvious interpretation of Mr. Dewey's writings. Besides the difficulty of his writing style, Jr. Dewey possesses quite an involved philosophy. Time was when a man's philosophy could be neatly divided into his ethics, his theory of knowledge, his psychology, his metaphysic, etc. Such distinctions imply that these branches of philosophy have each a specific field for their consideration2and that all of them together explain 2. a man's total content of thought. This plan assumes that all human knowledge is capable of being divided and should be so divided to give us a systematic grasp of reality. It is felt that if such division la lacking, the whole of reality is too complex to grasp and the result is bound to be confusion and chaos. In a cursory reading of the writings of John Dewey, the reader la aoon aware of another attitude. It is claimed by Dewey that any such divisions or distinctions are unnatural, give ua only a partial View of a series of segments of a man's thought, and the resulting estimate is necessarily a falaifloution. He claims that the unity of the whole is lost in the struggle to harmonize the perts. <tbove all he says that this'practice of using convenient pigeonholes is the worst feature inherited i * *» • . from the "classical" tradition of Greece and Medieval Europe. (1). In reaction against such classification, !<:r.' Dewey haa sought to develop a philosophy Which would have such an obvious unity that nobody would attempt to dismember it. The last technical book he wrote Insists on this {1) of. Moral Principle a In Bduomlon. by John Dewey, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1909, p. 32-33 where he deplores the pigeonhole classification of learn­ ing. His habit of identifying Greek philosophy with the Christian philosophy of Medieval Europe is well-exemplified on p. 17 of Reconstruction in rhilosophy. by John Dewey, New York: Holt and Co., 1920; or .The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy and ptharTTsaays In Contemporary Thought, by John Dewey, Holtand Co., 1910, p. 60:"...the so-called medieval period represents the petrification, under changed conditions, of Greek laeas. 3. point. His preoccupation with the theory of knowledge led him to entitle the volume: Logic: The Theory of Inquiry. (2) It is not "Logic" in the ordinary sense; its scope is far wider than the categories of things or thoughta. It is not merely a science but THE all-embracing art. His philosophy is far from being either formal or final. By the very principles he holds it is not com­ pletely evolved yet and can never become fixed, stable, finished. It is a philosophy of change, essentially fluid, evolving and developing toward a moving goal, moving always into the future. Such an elusive philosophy can be contained, in no .category, no fixed frame of reference. At the same time it would be false to pretend that his philosophy is so elusive that a new description must be provided every year, or every time Dr. Dewey writes a new book. This is not the case. It has definite attitudes, certain tendencies and views which are characteristic. That is to say it has a certain unity, but the precise nature of the unity has been the subject of much debate. One might well begin with the fact that Dewey has been seeking a unity in reaction against a dualism. He has always deplored the split between what a man knows and what a man does. And when this is carried over into the field of philosophy, his scorn knows no bounds. ' < .f (2) Logic: The Theory of Inquiry, by John Dewey. New York: Holt and Co., 1938, 546 pp. 4. "A second point is that as my study and think­ ing progressed, I became more and more troubled by the Intellectual scandal that seemed to me involved in the current (and traditional) dualism in logioal standpoint and method between something called "science" on the one hand and souething called "morals" on the other. I have long felt that the construction of a logic, that is, a method of effective inquiry, which would apply without abrupt breach of continuity to the fields -designated by both of these words, is at once oar needed theoratioal solvent and the supply of our greatest practical want. This belief has had much more to do with the development of what I termed, for lack of a better word, "instrumentalism", than have most of the reasons that have been assigned." (3). Yet Dewey says his theory of knowledge implies a logic which is autonomous. "It precludes resting logic upon metaphysical and ep1stemological assumptions and presuppositions." (4). Ethics cannot be treated alone in Dewey's philosophy, and neither could logic; this much is clear. Can any section or part of his philosophy be considered by itself? If it is anything as basic as The Notion of Good, it would seem not. His theory of knowledge is so closely bound to all his baslo attitudea that first place must be given to it. (3) FROM ABSOLUTION TO EXPERIMENTALISM, by John Dewey. In Contemporary American Philosophy. Edited by G.P. Adams and W.P. Montague. New York: Macmlllan, 1930, vol. 11, p. 23. (4) Loftlo: The Theory of Inquiry, by John Dewey, p. 21.. 5. His version of pragmatism now known as instrumentalism is usually thought of as an epistemology ratner than a moral philosophy, i.e. a theory of knowledge rather than a coue of ethics.
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