Unmodern Philosophy and Modern Philosophy

John Dewey's Unmodern Philosophy and Modern Philosophy, lost for 65 years, has been edited by Phillip Deen and published by Southern Illinois University Press. Dewey's work challenges modern philosophy's reliance on outdated traditions and dualisms, proposing a functional model of humanity as emotional, inquiring, and purposive organisms embedded in a natural and cultural environment. The book traces the problematic history of philosophy, criticizes the denigration of practice in the name of theory, addresses the dualism between matter and ideals, and questions why the human and the natural were ever separated in philosophy. It provides a deeper understanding of the relationship among the scientific, moral, and aesthetic and is a significant contribution to the history of American thought.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 402 pages
Publication date: 21 February 2023
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press

In 1947, the renowned philosopher, educator, and public intellectual John Dewey purportedly lost his final manuscript on modern philosophy in the back of a taxicab. Sixty-five years later, Dewey's fresh and unpretentious take on the history and theory of knowledge is finally accessible. Editor Phillip Deen has taken on the challenging task of editing Dewey's unfinished work, meticulously compiling the fragments and multiple drafts of each chapter that he discovered in the folders of the Dewey Papers at the Special Collections Research Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He has utilized Dewey's last known outline for the manuscript, aiming to create a finished product that faithfully represents Dewey's original intent. An introduction and editors' notes by Deen, along with a foreword by Larry A. Hickman, director of the Center for Dewey Studies, frame this previously lost work.

In Unmodern Philosophy and Modern Philosophy, Dewey presents a compelling argument that modern philosophy is far from being the progressive and forward-thinking discipline it claims to be. Instead, he argues, it retains the baggage of outdated and misguided philosophical traditions and dualisms inherited from Greek and medieval traditions. By drawing on cultural anthropology, Dewey moves beyond the philosophical themes of the past, proposing a functional model of humanity as emotional, inquisitive, purposeful organisms embedded in a natural and cultural environment.

Dewey begins by tracing the problematic history of philosophy, demonstrating how, from the time of the Greeks to the Empiricists and Rationalists, the subject has been mired in the search for immutable absolutes outside human experience. He highlights how philosophers have relied on dualisms such as mind and body, theory and practice, and the material and the ideal, ultimately dividing humanity from nature. The result, as Dewey posits, is the epistemological problem of how it is possible to know anything about the external world, given the inherent limitations of human perception and understanding.

Throughout his work, Dewey offers a critical analysis of the philosophical frameworks and theories that have dominated the Western intellectual tradition. He challenges the notion of absolute truth and argues that knowledge is not an abstract and detached concept but is deeply intertwined with human experience and the world around us. He emphasizes the importance of empathy, intuition, and practical experience in the acquisition of knowledge and the development of a coherent worldview.

Dewey's Unmodern Philosophy and Modern Philosophy is a seminal work that offers a fresh perspective on the history and theory of knowledge. It challenges the dominant philosophical paradigms of the past and provides a functional model of humanity that is grounded in the realities of human experience and the natural world. This previously lost work has been carefully edited and annotated by Phillip Deen, and it is a valuable addition to the literature on philosophy and intellectual history.

In conclusion, John Dewey's Unmodern Philosophy and Modern Philosophy is a groundbreaking work that offers a fresh and insightful perspective on the history and theory of knowledge. It challenges the dominant philosophical paradigms of the past and provides a functional model of humanity that is grounded in the realities of human experience and the natural world. This previously lost work has been carefully edited and annotated by Phillip Deen, and it is a valuable addition to the literature on philosophy and intellectual history.

Weight: 568g
Dimension: 155 x 235 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780809339099