John Dewey & the Philosophies of Rhetoric By John Slifko, PhD

John Dewey (1859-1952)

The American pragmatist, John Dewey studied the power of communication in many of his important works on education and philosophy.

Education

By the turn of the century, John Dewey's experiment in education had captured the attention of teachers at every level of the teaching system. Its radically new teaching practices represented a turning point, not only for formal education but also for larger views of childhood learning.

Source: Watson Schütze, E. (n.d.). John Dewey, Philosophy and Education. Retrieved November 9, 2015.

Dewey came to the University of Chicago in 1892. He was appointed to head the Department of Philosophy, where his experimentalism blended

well with the views of George Herbert Mead and Tufts. In addition to fulfilling his departmental obligations and administering the School of

Education, Dewey published several books and articles on education and philosophy. The School and Society (1899) became a classic among

progressive educators. Source:

Watson Schütze, E. (n.d.). John Dewey, Philosophy and Education. Retrieved November 9, 2015.

The concept of communication is a central feature in much of John Dewey’s social thought.

Dewey on Communication

He once wrote: "Of all affairs, communication is the most wonderful." For him communication is the highest of the "arts of life," for it is in communication that society is born and nurtured. It is by communication that we discover the possibilities of nature. And it is through communication that we make our shared experience meaningful. Source: Crick, Nathan (2005) John Dewey on the Art of Communication. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

Philosophies of Communication

Before delving deeper into Dewey’s beliefs on the concept of communication, it is imperative to look at other perspectives from philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Socrates’ Philosophy on Rhetoric

Premise 1: Truth is knowable.

Premise 2: Rhetoric only works if one is ignorant — ie: people who do not study anything do not know what’s going on…

Premise 3: Rhetoric is powerful

Therefore…

According to Socrates,

Rhetoric is dangerous (bad)

The ethical person will speak the truth without regard to the rhetorical effects.

Example: Academic & Science (these are objective; only report facts & ignore rhetoric.. numbers don’t lie)

Plato’s Philosophy on Rhetoric:

Premise 1: Truth is knowable.

Premise 2: Rhetoric only works if one is ignorant.

Premise 3: There is always some who will be ignorant.

Premise 4: Rhetoric can help those who are ignorant live intelligent lives.

Therefore…

According to Plato,

The purpose of rhetoric is to help the ignorant to live intelligent lives (Ethical Rhetoric)

Examples: missionaries, parent-child relationships, politicians, etc.

Aristotle’s Philosophy on Rhetoric:

Premise 1: Most important truths are unknowable.

Premise 2: But, some guesses are better than others.

Premise 3: Rhetoric can help us make better guesses.

Therefore…

According to Aristotle,

Rhetoric is ethical when it attempts to help us make better guesses.

Examples: law courts, First Amendment, humanistic side of academics (not science)

Dewey’s Philosophy of Rhetoric:

Ideas about communication provide the interrelated basis for (a) for Dewey’s speculative views on the genesis of human intellect and human society, (b) for his socio-philosophical opinions about the ideal form of human association (subsumed under the term community) and (c) for his diagnosis of what he considered the primary malady of (early twentieth century) American democracy and its remedy.

Source: Belman, L. S. (1977), John Dewey's Concept of Communication. Journal of Communication, 27: 29–37.

Therefore…

According to Dewey, two concepts stand out as being critical to an understanding of his perspective on both communication and society. These are the concepts of empathy and foresight (which he believes, arise as significant capacities through the advent of language) are the primary bases for community and, in their thwarting, the fundamental factors in the erosion of a democratic society. Source: Belman, L. S. (1977), John Dewey's Concept of Communication. Journal of Communication, 27: 29–37.

Thanks! — John Slifko, PhD

“For more information, please visit: www.civilsphere.net

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