Rescuing Dewey

Reviews / Votes

This study is stunningly good in more ways than it is possible to summarize briefly: above all, an author, whose erudition is as wide-ranging as his acumen is deep-cutting, has written a timely work in which historical contextualization and philosophical probity are perfectly balanced. John Dewey is rescued by Peter T. Manicas from narrow and reductive readings; thereby he is made available as a truly contemporary contributor to intellectual debates of broad human significance and debates concerning democratic practices and political deliberation, as much as science and inquiry. Dewey's pragmatic naturalism has no more informed, insightful, and indeed eloquent champion than Peter Manicas; and here Manicas is unquestionably at the top of his game. -- Vincent Colapietro, Pennsylvania State University This collection of essays is an important contribution to this debate and will undoubtedly inspire further discussion about the proper placement of Dewey in the history of political thought. * The Review of Politics * Peter T. Manicas offers his readers a wide-ranging and highly original tour of Dewey's work, set against the backdrop of more than a century of developments in epistemology, political philosophy, and sociology. Confidently evoking a huge cast of characters, and taking on Dewey's friends as well as his foes, he provides fresh insights into the complexities of Dewey's thought and its continuing relevance for democratic life. -- Larry A. Hickman, The Center for Dewey Studies, Southern Illinois University Carbondale