John Dewey's Early Liberalism

The meaning behind the title of the book starts with how John Dewy sees liberalism in society at this time. Dewey was a heavy critic about earlier liberalism because he felt it was too individualistic. One of the great Philosophers John Locke was heavily criticized by Dewey. He felt that John Locke’s temper was too individualistic to the point that it opposed organized social action. (Page16) Dewey Thought Locke did not account for the rising economic strides that the US would end up making where during his time it was more static but one hundred years later its more dynamic than imagined. (Page 18) Dewey believed that Social Action was the key to liberalism and not the endowment of it. In his view, early liberalism failed because social order …show more content…
Dewey believed the culture of education was the not sufficient enough to be considered successful. The first goal of liberalism, in his eyes, is fixing education. In order to make real strides towards fixing education it requires social action. Another reason the book is titled Liberalism and Social Action. The social action aspect is a big deal because without social action then liberalism is a complete failure. Before, Dewey stated that in order for liberalism to coexist in modern times people must be willing to seek out advantages for themselves rather than society as a whole. This same thinking-process can be applied to Dewey’s belief about education. If no one seeks advantages in favor of the schools then the institutions as a whole will fall. Dewey states, “the idea that dispositions and attitudes can be altered by merely "moral" means conceived of as something that goes on wholly inside of persons is itself one of the old patterns that to be changed. Thought, desire and purpose exist in constant give and take of interaction with environing conditions" (Page 62). This statement by Dewey informs us the environment and interactions of other is key to children success. The idea of social action is not to change liberalism but instead reinvent it, or in the case of this class, modernize it. Education is just one way that Dewey talks about liberalism and social action. Another way social action incorporates into modern cultural times is in the