Short Description:
One of Dewey's seminal books.
Mouritz description:
This series of lectures equals Human Nature and Conduct (1922) (which mentions Alexander) in providing a clear introduction to Dewey’s pragmatic instrumentalism. He proposes that the distincition of primary experience (immediate, direct) and secondary experience (reflective, intellectual) is necessary to solve the problem of knowledge (how we know). Only by abandoning the faulty dualistic approach (which differentiates betweeen subject and object in all experiences) can we discover the true interrelation of subject (experience) and its environment (nature). The bearing of this on ends and means, consciousness, meaning, science and art is discussed. Contains some philosophical terms so basic knowledge of 18th and 19th century philosophy is a help, though not essential.
