This year marks the centenary publication of John Dewey's magnum opus, "Democracy and Education". Despite its profound importance as a foundational text in education, it is notoriously difficult and – dare we say it – a little dry. In this charming and often funny companion, noted philosopher of education D. C. Phillips goes chapter by chapter to bring Dewey to a twenty-first-century audience. Drawing on over fifty years of thinking about this book – and on his own experiences as an educator – he lends it renewed clarity and a personal touch that proves its lasting importance. Phillips bridges several critical pitfalls of "Democracy and Education" that often prevent contemporary readers from fully understanding it. Where Dewey sorely needs a detailed example to illustrate a point – and the times are many – Phillips steps in, presenting cases from his own classroom experiences. Where Dewey casually refers to the works of people like Hegel, Herbart, and Locke – common knowledge, apparently, in 1916 – Phillips fills in the necessary background. And where Dewey gets convoluted or is even flat-out wrong, Phillips does what few other scholars would do: he takes Dewey to task. The result is a lively accompaniment that helps us celebrate and be enriched by some of the most important ideas ever offered in education.
About the Author
D. C. Phillips is professor emeritus of education and philosophy at Stanford University, where he has also served as associate dean and of the Graduate School of Education. He is the author or editor of many books including, most recently, the "Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy".
Reviews
"By turns deftly supportive, harshly critical, and laugh-out-loud funny, Phillips's companion to Dewey's classic text is deeply insightful and instructive. Phillips is the best kind of critic, one who is broadly and sympathetically appreciative of Dewey's insights but quick to point out unclarities, non sequiturs, and mistakes both large and small. Written in an elegant but conversational style and infused with charming and revealing accounts of his personal experiences as a student, high school science teacher, and professor and Dewey scholar, Phillips has written a book that will guide both newcomers to and veteran readers of 'Democracy and Education'. The companion is also much more fun to read than Dewey's foundational but too often turgid tome!"-Harvey Siegel, University of Miami
"Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. wrote of one of John Dewey's books: 'But although Dewey's book is incredibly ill written, it seemed to me after several re-readings to have a feeling of intimacy with the inside of the cosmos that I found unequalled. So methought God would have spoken had He been inarticulate but keenly desirous to tell you how it was. ' Methinks that Phillips has managed to make the inarticulate articulate and to tell us 'how it was' according to Dewey. A fine companion on the anniversary of the publication of a most important book" – Walter Feinberg, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
"Phillips has addressed the issues in Dewey's magnum opus with clarity, humor, and insight – such as I have not witnessed in any other publication. Phillips has relied on Dewey throughout his professional life, and this experience allows him to give, chapter by chapter, crystal clear commentaries that get right to the heart of Dewey's key messages" – Richard Pring, University of Oxford
