Dewey and Peirce, the Philosopher's Philosopher

Three arguments are presented in this article that point to discontinuity rather than continuity in John Dewey’s philosophical views. First, the author examines and critiques the most comprehensive current account of the development of Dewey’s thinking early to late based on the assumption of continuity. Contrary to this account, it is argued, Dewey dramatically changed his views about the role of action, language, and quality in knowledge construction from mid-career on. In the second and third sections of the paper, numerous examples are presented showing how closely Dewey’s later ideas map onto those of the brilliant but less known originator of pragmatism, Charles Sanders Peirce. The intent in all three sections of the paper is to demonstrate the magnitude of Dewey’s debt to Peirce.