Growing People

A definitive study. -- Philip Kitcher, John Dewey Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Columbia University Reading Dewey alongside Plato, Rousseau and Du Bois, Natalia Alexander has written an original and timely account of Dewey's philosophy of education, placing his character-centered analysis of human flourishing at the center of his aesthetics and his political theory. As democratic citizens we still need to be grappling with Dewey's thought, and Alexander brilliantly helps us to see why. -- Robert Gooding-Williams, author of <i>Democracy and Beauty: The Political Aesthetics of W.E.B. Du Bois</i> A remarkable achievement in resurrecting one of the great thinkers in American history. Dewey is not forgotten – worse, he is not taken seriously, thought to be old fashioned, even naively benign. Natalia Rogach Alexander brings us a revitalized Dewey whose vision is as deep as it is broad. Her profound and bold analysis of Dewey’s oeuvre couldn’t be more contemporary or more relevant. -- Stuart Firestein, author of <i>Ignorance: How It Drives Science</i> Alexander’s philosophically rich and nuanced interpretation shows that Dewey’s philosophy of education is a central component of his pragmatism. Alexander makes a compelling case for the idea that Dewey’s concern to “set free and develop” human capacities shapes his views on democracy, aesthetics, and even the tasks of philosophy. -- Michele M. Moody-Adams, author of <i>Making Space for Justice: Social Movements, Collective Imagination and Political Hope</i>