John Dewey and Confucian Thought

Jim Behuniak is Professor of Philosophy at Colby College. He is the author of John Dewey and Daoist Thought: Experiments in Intra-cultural Philosophy, Volume One and Mencius on Becoming Human, both also published by SUNY Press.

• List of IllustrationsInterludeDewey’s Chinese DinnersPart I. 1. John Dewey and Intra-cultural NaturalismDissolving the Blank SlateHumanism and Intra-cultural PhilosophyContinuity and Common SenseCulture and the "Return Wave"Cultural Relations and Reconstruction2. Education and TraditionLearning (xue 學) and PersonhoodDewey Arrives in ChinaEducation and Its ReachLearning and ThinkingThe Dao 道 of Tradition3. Custom and ReconstructionBreakthroughs in ChinaLi 禮 and CustomToward a "Social Philosophy," Part OneCustom and ReflectionRen 仁 and Human Association4. Pluralism and DemocracyDemocracy vs. The Melting PotGuojia 國家 and the "Great Community"Three Complimentary StudiesToward a "Social Philosophy," Part TwoDewey Leaves ChinaPart II 5. Roles and ExemplarsThe Analects as Virtue EthicsExemplarism and the Denotative MethodRole Ethics and Human NatureHitting the Mark (zhong 中)Morality is Social6. Humans and NatureNaturalizing HeavenSpiritualizing NatureUnderstanding Human NatureThe Goodness (shan 善) of Human NatureNature and Normality7. Harmony and GrowthFamily and Human NatureThe Norm of Harmony (he 和)The Meaning of GrowthFamily Experience and Non-DualismCulture and Adaptation8. Integration and ReligiousnessIntegration (cheng 誠) and AdjustmentRecovering the ForfeitureIdeals and the ActualCommunion and the Human SpiritReturning to ChinaNotesWorks CitedIndex

"John Dewey and Confucian Thought demonstrates vividly how real problems and experience during and after his visit to China shaped Dewey's 'cultural turn.' … The richly textured and engaging book draws extensively on Dewey's correspondences, his collected works, the recently discovered notes of his lectures on social and political philosophy in China, pre-Qin Confucian texts, especially the Analects and the Mencius, recently excavated ancient Chinese texts, relevant secondary literature, as well as scientific and social scientific studies on various subjects." — Journal of Chinese Philosophy"With this two-volume set, Behuniak has produced an exemplary work of intra-cultural philosophy. The dynamic interplay between Dewey's and Confucian/Daoist philosophies percolates spiritedly in its pages, the contemporary relevance of the exchange never in doubt. Behuniak's meticulous scholarship leaves no stone unturned, while his incisive analyses offer critical and productive contributions to ongoing dialogues. There is much to be gained from this book; I would recommend it highly to anyone." — Mathew A. Foust, Reading Religion"Naturally, the two volumes can and perhaps ought to be read separately since they stand firmly on their own footings and provide ample opportunity for learning and reflection. Nevertheless, as one is complementary to the other, it is recommended that the reader who wishes to invest in a layered understanding of how pragmatism and democratic commitments could be harmonized with Daoist spontaneity and Confucian ritualism read both of them. This way one comes to fully appreciate the complete picture that is depicted masterfully by Behuniak." — Religious Studies Review"Attacking the distinction of Eastern versus Western philosophical cultures, these volumes create a detailed intra-cultural Deweyan-Chinese thought on many levels at once. Using Dewey to reinterpret the Daoist and Confucian traditions from their sources, Behuniak weaves an intra-cultural philosophical trajectory that stretches from the sixth-century BCE China to Columbia University in New York City. The result is one of the philosophical masterpieces of our time." — Robert Cummings Neville, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Religion, and Theology, Boston University