Mini-Inquiry on Dewey: My Own Definition of Democracy A year and a half ago, I visited Athens. I went to Greece to present a paper in the VI International Conference of English as a Lingua Franca. I was very excited, my paper was accepted and I could visit this historical city. Along with my presentation, I also prepared my trip to not miss any point of interest in this city. Coincidentally, a close friend is an Athenian who moved to Ecuador as a teenager, but has managed to summers there. My friend and I met when we were college students and kept this friendship for more than 15 years. She was very excited for my trip and offered tips about places I should not miss in Athens. She also gave me two of her friends ' contact information for
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In this book, the word democracy is mentioned 5 times. N each time it is named, it is attached to its importance as a social institution for creating learning experience by eliminating discrimination in the classroom. However, I demanded from Dewey a more concrete definition of democracy. I decided to research more Dewey 's ideologies about democracy to be able to construct my own definition. I requested Democracy and Education (1916) and tried to read it. I have to admit, this book is intimidating. The copy, which I had access to, is full of notes, highlighting, and underlinings. It was difficult to pick Dewey 's thoughts by browsing this web that previous readers have made; however, I could manage to find an statement that has lead me to a deeper understanding of democracy. Here, Dewey says:
A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. The extension in space of the number of individuals who participate in an interest so that each has to refer his own action to that of others, and to consider the action of others to give point and direction to his own, is equivalent to the breaking down of those barriers of class, race, and national territory which kept men from perceiving the full import of their activity.” (p.
In this book, the word democracy is mentioned 5 times. N each time it is named, it is attached to its importance as a social institution for creating learning experience by eliminating discrimination in the classroom. However, I demanded from Dewey a more concrete definition of democracy. I decided to research more Dewey 's ideologies about democracy to be able to construct my own definition. I requested Democracy and Education (1916) and tried to read it. I have to admit, this book is intimidating. The copy, which I had access to, is full of notes, highlighting, and underlinings. It was difficult to pick Dewey 's thoughts by browsing this web that previous readers have made; however, I could manage to find an statement that has lead me to a deeper understanding of democracy. Here, Dewey says:
A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. The extension in space of the number of individuals who participate in an interest so that each has to refer his own action to that of others, and to consider the action of others to give point and direction to his own, is equivalent to the breaking down of those barriers of class, race, and national territory which kept men from perceiving the full import of their activity.” (p.