Woodlawn in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
John Dewey
— Chicago Tribute —
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, December 4, 2021
1. John Dewey Marker
John Dewey
Philosopher and educator
1859 - 1952
John Dewey was one of the foremost philosophers of the twentieth century and a founder of the Laboratory School at the University of Chicago. He played a role in public life that few philosophers in American history have known, addressing the problems of life itself—the processes of politics, art, science and religion.
Dewey based his entire system of philosophy, called pragmatism, on life experience. Through his teaching and writings, his influence was felt in politics, science and the arts. He speculated that ideas are tools for solving problems in the environment, not discrete entities. He came to the University of Chicago in 1894, where he was appointed head of the Department of Philosophical Studies and director of the School of Education.
In a radical departure from traditional educational theories of his time, Dewey believed that school should be an extension of everyday life, a process of accumulating experience, not a series of memorization exercises. He started the Lab School in 1896 to illustrate his theory that children learn by doing.
Dewey and his wife Alice resided at 213 (now 1554) East 61st Street at that time. They lived in Chicago until 1904, when Dewey accepted a position at Columbia
this page online
Erected 1998 by Chicago Tribune Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago Cultural Center Foundation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education. In addition, it is included in the Chicago Tribute series list. A significant historical date for this entry is October 20, 1859.
Location. 41° 47.033′ N, 87° 35.246′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Woodlawn. Marker is on East 61st Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1554 East 61st Street, Chicago IL 60637, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Masaryk Memorial Monument (approx. ¼ mile away); Charles E. Merriam Center for Public Administration (approx. 0.3 miles away); Museum of Science and Industry (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Norway Building (approx. 0.6 miles away); Enrico and Laura Fermi (approx. 0.8 miles away); Site of the First Self-sustaining Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction (approx. 0.9 miles away); Harold Washington (approx. 1.1 miles away); Obama Kissing Rock (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
Also see . . .
1. John Dewey(Wikipedia).
"John(Submitted on December 15, 2021.)Dewey (October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the first half of the twentieth century.Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, December 4, 20212. John Dewey Marker - wide viewDewey's former home, 213 East 61st, likely would have been located more or less in the middle of the picture here, based on the current addresses.
The overriding theme of Dewey's works was his profound belief in democracy, be it in politics, education, or communication and journalism. As Dewey himself stated in 1888, while still at the University of Michigan, "Democracy and the one, ultimate, ethical ideal of humanity are to my mind synonymous." Dewey considered two fundamental elements—schools and civil society—to be major topics needing attention and reconstruction to encourage experimental intelligence and plurality. He asserted that complete democracy was to be obtained not just by extending voting rights but also by ensuring that there exists a fully formed public opinion, accomplished by communication among citizens, experts and politicians, with the latter being accountable for the policies they adopt."
2. John Dewey (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).
"John Dewey (1859–1952) was one of American pragmatism’s early founders, along with Charles Sanders Peirce and William James, and arguably the most prominent American intellectual for the first half of the twentieth century. Dewey’s educational theories and experiments had a global reach, his psychological theories had a sizable influence in that growing science, and his writings about democratic theory and practice deeply influenced debates in academic and practical quarters for decades. In addition, Dewey developed extensive and often systematic views in ethics, epistemology, logic, metaphysics, aesthetics, and philosophy of religion. Because Dewey typically took a genealogical approach that couched his own view within the larger history of philosophy, one may also find a fully developed metaphilosophy in his work."(Submitted on December 15, 2021.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 14, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 270 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 14, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2. submitted on December 15, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
