Human Nature and Conduct: An Introduction to Social Psychology

by John Dewey

Publisher:

Henry Holt & Co.

, 1922

Overview

Human Nature and Conduct presents an ethical theory through the lens of social psychology. Dewey begins with a description of human nature based on the insights of social psychology. From this, he puts forward a theory of ethics that emphasizes the role of habit and its relationship to the development of character. He also emphasizes the role of critical, reflective thinking in guiding and revising habitual behavior, yielding a distinctly Aristotelian analysis.

Product Details

• Title: Human Nature and Conduct: An Introduction to Social Psychology
• Author: John Dewey
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
• Print Publication Date: 1922
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Social psychology; Habits
• Resource ID: LLS:HMNNATCONDEWEY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:00:07Z

About John Dewey

John Dewey was the most famous teacher of philosophy in the early twentieth century, and he was known for his lifelong work to reform America’s educational system. Dewey was born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1859 to strict Calvinist parents. After graduating from the University of Vermont, Dewey taught high school and studied philosophy in his spare time. He finished his doctorate degree at Johns Hopkins University and continued to teach at various universities around the country, finally landing at Columbia University. While in New York, Dewey became involved in political groups and founded what would become the progressive education movement, which purported that students should learn to think for themselves to become active participants of a democratic society. He was also a founding member of the NAACP and the ACLU. At this time, Dewey was influenced by Karl Marx, and after traveling to different countries to study their educational systems, praised Soviet education and came under critical scrutiny in the United States. Dewey continued his political and philosophical efforts until his death in 1952.