John Dewey and the Logical Empiricist Unity of Science

Abstract

The idea that there is a scientific way to deal with the problems of everyday life and the idea that such scientific way must be propagated and taught to the people, so that society may be improved, are central to the thought of John Dewey. These ideas are also at the core of the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science – a project that was advanced in the nineteenthirties by the group of philosophers known as the Vienna Circle, or logical empiricists. Dewey made two contributions to that encyclopedia. However, some years later, mainly in co-authorship with Arthur Bentley, he presented a strong criticism of the points of view defended by members of that group and their associates, such as Rudolf Carnap and Charles Morris. The present article seeks to show this conflict, explaining the aims of the logical empiricist encyclopedia as well as Dewey’s contributions and criticisms to it. Accordingly, this paper aims at reappraising the points of view involved, showing that Dewey was not right in his criticisms and that the idea of placing pragmatism and logical empiricism in continuity with each other should be seriously considered, given the objectives of both schools of thought.