John Dewey – 1859-1952

Working mainly at the University of Chicago, Dewey was a pioneer of philosophical pragmatism, which holds that ideas are essentially tools to be used in the solution of problems encountered in the environment. A typically American approach to intellect, the philosophy gave rise to what Dewey called functional psychology and to a pragmatic program of progressive education, which stressed interaction with the world on a practical, physical level as the best means of developing a child’s mind.