The undiscovered Dewey : religion, morality, and the ethos of democracy / Melvin L. Rogers.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Undiscovered Dewey explores the profound influence of evolution and its corresponding ideas of contingency and uncertainty on John Dewey's philosophy of action, particularly its argument that inquiry proceeds from the uncertainty of human activity. Dewey separated the meaningfulness of inquiry from a larger metaphysical story concerning the certainty of human progress. He then connected this thread to the way in which our reflective capacities aid us in improving our lives. Dewey therefore launched a new understanding of the modern self that encouraged intervention in social and natural environments but which nonetheless demanded courage and humility because of the intimate relationship between action and uncertainty.

Melvin L. Rogers explicitly connects Dewey's theory of inquiry to his religious, moral, and political philosophy. He argues that, contrary to common belief, Dewey sought a place for religious commitment within a democratic society sensitive to modern pluralism. Against those who regard Dewey as indifferent to moral conflict, Rogers points to Dewey's appreciation for the incommensurability of our ethical commitments. His deep respect for modern pluralism, argues Rogers, led Dewey to articulate a negotiation between experts and the public so that power did not lapse into domination. Exhibiting an abiding faith in the reflective and contestable character of inquiry, Dewey strongly engaged with the complexity of our religious, moral, and political lives.

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CHOICE Review

Rogers (Univ. of Virginia) pursues the ambitious task of rehumanizing the most humanistic of all philosophers. In so doing, he challenges interpretations of John Dewey that suggest that by ignoring contingency, the ever-present reality of human limits, and the importance of faith to the human experience, Dewey fails to articulate a convincing account of the human experience. Rogers argues that depictions of Dewey as the breezy lover of a unified scientific democracy forever progressing toward a cheerful world of our own making ignore his intellectual indebtedness to Darwin's demonstration of the radically undetermined character of nature and, therefore, history. Rogers demonstrates that Dewey does, in fact, account for contingency in the open-endedness of nature itself. The result is that Rogers depicts a darker, more profound, and more fully human Dewey. Rogers's task is a tall one, and ultimately it will not fully convince Dewey's detractors who dismiss him as unserious. But as a corrective to prevailing strains of thought, the book is a welcome and thoughtful contribution. Unfortunately, by engaging Dewey's critics so thoroughly, the author misses the opportunity to introduce the undiscovered Dewey to a broader audience. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. M. E. Bailey Berry College