Reconstruction in Philosophy

A modern classic. Dewey's lectures have lost none of their vigor ... The historical approach, which underlay the central argument, is beautifully exemplified in his treatments of the origin of philosophy. -- Philosophy and Phenomenological Research.

It was with this book that Dewey fully launched his campaign for experimental philosophy. -- The New Republic. Written shortly after the shattering effects of World War I, John Dewey's Reconstruction in Philosophy offers an insightful introduction to the concept of pragmatic humanism. The eminent philosopher presents persuasive arguments against traditional philosophical constructs, suggesting their basis in self-justification; instead, he proposes an examination of core values in terms of their ultimate effects on the self and others.

Dewey's experimental philosophy represented a significant departure from its predecessor, utilitarianism, and it was received with both outrage and acclaim for daring to mingle ethics and science. Delivered in 1919 as a series of lectures at Tokyo's Imperial University of Japan, Dewey's landmark work appears here in an enlarged edition that features an informative introduction by the author, written more than 25 years after the book's initial publication.