Dewey’s Social Philosophy

John R. Shook, PhD, was a professor of philosophy at Oklahoma State University, USA, from 2000 to 2006, and then he joined the faculty of the Science and the Public online EdM program at the University at Buffalo, New York, USA, where he also is research associate in philosophy. His publications focus on John Dewey, American intellectual history, pragmatism, social and political theory, and ethics.

"This is a profound meditation on the most intimate connections between democracy and education. Taking his cue from John Dewey's masterwork Democracy and Education, Shook encourages his readers to consider how a vital educational agenda can foster reconstruction of the norms of justice, moral behavior, and religious belief in a time of debilitating economic and racial divisions." - Larry A. Hickman, Center for Dewey Studies, Southern Illinois University, USA "In this elegantly written and masterfully researched book, a leading contemporary pragmatist investigates how John Dewey saw education as the 'fundamental engine of democracy.' John Shook discusses Dewey's faith in the moral and ideal nature of democracy as a cooperative and communal educational venture. Democratic commitments go beyond education as simply schooling for Dewey. In a particularly brilliant chapter, Shook demonstrates how Dewey's democratic humanism, as the clear consciousness of a moral life, forms a powerful educational argument about the role of punishment in a democracy. I recommend this book highly as a major accomplishment in Dewey scholarship and will assign it in my graduate classes." - AG Rud, Distinguished Professor, College of Education, Washington State University, USA

• 1. Introduction 2. Pragmatism, Learning, and Democracy 3. The Ethical Justification for Democracy 4. Equal Opportunity, Education, and Democracy 5. Moral Education, Justice, and Punishment 6. Democracy, Religion, and Ethical Progress