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John Dewey 18591952 Philosopher and educator
John Dewey was one of the foremost philosophers of the twentieth century and a founder of the Laboratory School at the University of Chicago. He played a role in public life that few philosophers in American history have known, addressing the problems of life itselfthe processes of politics, art, science and religion.
Dewey based his entire system of philosophy, called pragmatism, on life experience. Through his teaching and writings, his influence was felt in politics, science and the arts. He speculated that ideas are tools for solving problems in the environment, not discrete entities. He came to the University of Chicago in 1894, where he was appointed head of the Department of Philosophical Studies and director of the School of Education.
In a radical departure from traditional educational theories of his time, Dewey believed that school should be an extension of everyday life, a process of accumulating experience, not a series of memorization exercises. He started the Lab School in 1896 to illustrate his theory that children learn by doing.
Dewey and his wife Alice resided at 213 (now 1554) East 61st Street at that time. They lived in Chicago until 1904, when Dewey accepted a position at Columbia University in New York.