Event Title
The Benifits of Knowing Nothing - How Taoism Fits Into John Dewey's Dream
Presentation Type
Oral and/or Visual Presentation
Presenter Major(s)
Philosophy
Mentor Information
Ralf Hugger
Department
Liberal Studies
Location
Kirkhof Center 2259
Start Date
11-4-2012 3:30 PM
Keywords
Changing Ideas/Changing Worlds, Freedom and Control, Identity, Philosophy/ Literature
Abstract
John Dewey, renowned psychologist, educator, and philosopher, saw that in order to attain the future we desire we must all "help get rid of the useless lumber that blocks our highways of thought, and strive to make straight and open the paths that lead to the future." In order to move forward we must take the time to pause and purge ourselves of the assumptions of the past. Taoism allows us to just that and denotes the necessary nothingness to which we must strive. I shall discuss some fundamental aspects of Taoism and describe how they effectively develop the tentative and critical mind as well as explore just how necessary this revolution of thought is to creating and maintaining a better future. These philosophical concepts take on a new connotation with their conjunction and serve as tools to articulate and discover ways to overcome the polarization and dogmatic modes of thinking inherited from the past in order to start down the road of reconstruction pointed out by John Dewey.
The Benifits of Knowing Nothing - How Taoism Fits Into John Dewey's Dream
Kirkhof Center 2259
John Dewey, renowned psychologist, educator, and philosopher, saw that in order to attain the future we desire we must all "help get rid of the useless lumber that blocks our highways of thought, and strive to make straight and open the paths that lead to the future." In order to move forward we must take the time to pause and purge ourselves of the assumptions of the past. Taoism allows us to just that and denotes the necessary nothingness to which we must strive. I shall discuss some fundamental aspects of Taoism and describe how they effectively develop the tentative and critical mind as well as explore just how necessary this revolution of thought is to creating and maintaining a better future. These philosophical concepts take on a new connotation with their conjunction and serve as tools to articulate and discover ways to overcome the polarization and dogmatic modes of thinking inherited from the past in order to start down the road of reconstruction pointed out by John Dewey.