12/12/21

One of the last books I needed to read for Modern Mrs. Darcy 2016 challenge was a book that intimated me. Well, that book happened to be Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education* by John Dewey. Over the winter break, I spent three days having an in-depth conversation with Mr. Dewey. I will not kid you, it was exhausting. After the three days, I was wiped out.

Dewey has some wonderful ideas about education, but in my opinion, he makes you work for each one of them. Read more ( )

This is a brilliant piece that demonstrates the necessity and use of encyclopedic knowledge to particular and personal aims. It is a must read for any scholar whose desires and ambitions are more than intellectual. ( )

I made the mistake of picking up another book by Dewey. His arguments are just as dim in this book as they were in Experience and Nature. Somehow his unclear language constantly obscures the point he's trying to make. How about this sentence, for instance: "The ideal may seem remote of execution, but the democratic ideal of education is a farcical yet tragic delusion except as the ideal more and more dominates our public system of education" (p.107). I could quote an equally opaque sentence from practically every page of this book. His obscurity is probably not intentional, but the text seems unpolished and I found it impossible to follow his train of thought. I was even more disappointed to find that (as far as I could see) he had nothing to say about democracy except for the trivial point that democratic citizens should be educated. I gave up around page 150 and just browsed the chapter summaries to the end. No more Dewey for me.