Contemporary Pragmatism (With a Special Emphasis on John Dewey's Propositions) and its Antique Roots Cover Image

Pragmatyzm dzisiaj (ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem propozycji Johna Deweya) a jego korzenie antyczne
Contemporary Pragmatism (With a Special Emphasis on John Dewey's Propositions) and its Antique Roots

Author(s): Ewa Chudoba
Subject(s): Fine Arts / Performing Arts, History of Philosophy, Aesthetics, Pragmatism, Sociology of Culture
Published by: Uniwersytet Adama Mickiewicza
Keywords: Dewey's pragmatism; naturalistic empiricism; aesthetic concept; the concept of reconstruction;

Summary/Abstract: The author of the article poses the following question: Why would we find Dewey's classic pragmatism interesting and is it true that everything that is really important can be found in the works of his followers: Rorty and Shuterman. The author emphasizes that in her narrative she is mostly interested in more primal Dewey whose philosophical thoughts, naturalistic empiricism, as he himself called his philosophy, as well as the aesthetic concepts are not subject to frequent debates in our country. She indicates that there are certain abuses in the interpretation of Dewey’s philosophy. One of them is, for example, treating Dewey as a leftist philosopher who has not had much to offer when it comes to the approach to tradition and history. The author emphasizes that although Dewey's point of view was very far from being right-wing or far from accepting nationalism, he is not a left-wing thinker. Dewey is a philosopher who remains extremely attached to tradition and he believes that knowledge about history is crucial to understand philosophy and culture. The author specifically refers to emphasize that Dewey reminds us of what full of life and contemporary art really is. It stems from the rhythm and needs of social life and it expresses beliefs of a given community or society.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 111-130
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: Polish