John Dewey
United States, nineteenth–twentieth centuries
He understood inquiry as transforming a problematic situation through experimental procedures.
Historical context
Dewey wrote on inquiry, democracy, and education during a period of rapid industrial change in the United States. Democracy and Education appeared in 1916.
Overview
An uncertain situation becomes a problem when we distinguish its components and can test courses of action. Learning includes framing hypotheses, trying them, and revising habits in light of their effects.
Main claims
Inquiry transforms problematic situations through observation, action, and revision.
Debates and nuances
Education and democracy are domains in which he examines the social formation of habits.
This entry provides educational context.