Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [162]-172).

Diss.--Tübingen--Universität, 1990. / Vol. 114 de la coll. d'après la CIP de la Deutsche Bibliothek.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1953. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [178]-180).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2008. / Title from title page (Digital Archive@GSU, viewed June 22, 2010) Deron Boyles, committee chair; Eric Freeman, Jennifer Esposito, Donna Breault, committee members. Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-152).

This essay is, in the main, a presentation of Dewey's social and political philosophy, with particular attention being given to his theory of the origin and nature of the state and to his recommendations for a programme of social reconstruction. As Dewey relies on the use of intelligence for conscious intervention within the social process and for the purposive control of social change, the first chapter of this essay is given to an exposition of Dewey's version of the pragmatic method, Instrumentalism. The major influences which operated to shape Dewey's methodological approach to philosophic problems are the following: (1) the rise of American industry: the divorce of production from hand-tool methods and the introduction of technology and mass manufacturing techniques; (2) the emergence of Pragmatism as a distinctive American philosophy; (3) the rising influence of the biological sciences; (4) the contemplative character of classic philosophy. These influences form the matrix out of which Dewey's general philosophic outlook emerged; an outlook in which thinking is shifted from the contemplative to the practical, and which is ordered by the principle that thinking is instrumental to a control of the environment. Consistent with his methodology, Dewey places his theory of the emergence, existence and functioning of the state on an empirical base. Causal agency theories of the state are rejected; a theory of social organization must start with what is observable, human behaviour. The hypostatized "'Individual" and "Society" are dissolved by a psychology of social behaviourism which holds that the individual is an emergent from a group matrix and his behaviour as an individual Is explainable only by reference to the group. Dewey's social theory begins, therefore, with the facts that human beings exist and act within some kind of social grouping and that the consequences of acting within an association are perceived by the Individuals comprising it. The perception of consequences is the keystone of Dewey's theory. In Dewey's view the fact that consequences are perceived gives rise to the problem of controlling certain consequences, and to the correlative problem of providing the apparatus for regulating actions to attain specified and predetermined consequences. Dewey distinguishes two kinds of actions (or transactions, in Dewey's terminology): those whose consequences are direct and confined to the group within which the actions take place are defined as private; but actions which have effects outside of the group and generate indirect consequences are classified as public. The need to control actions affecting the welfare of those not directly involved in the transactions brings into existence a special social group which Dewey calls A Public. This social entity takes on political form, It becomes a political state, when officials or representatives are appointed or elected and the organize the Public to care for the common interest generated by the indirect consequences of transactions. The formation of states in a continuing, experimental process; as the conditions of social life change so does the need for new forms of political organization. Finally, democracy, in Dewey's theory, is a form of government arising out of a specified practice in selecting officials and regulating their conduct as officials. Dewey's social theory implies the direction of society by ideas and by knowledge. It is Dewey's general thesis, therefore, that the method of experimental social inquiry is the most effective means for a community organized as a political state to make satisfactory adaptations to a changing material, intellectual and moral culture and, at the same time, allowing maximum freedom to the individual for the development of his capacities and potentialities. Recognizing that men are ruled by habit and that they cling to long established beliefs, Dewey saw the persistence of the liberal tradition as the means for carrying the experimental methodology into the arena of social and political affairs. But before it could serve this purpose, liberalism had to be reconstructed. In this reconstruction Dewey saw no need to modify the ends of liberalism, but he points out that if they are to play a guiding role in contemporary life liberalism must abandon its atomistic psychology and the correlative doctrines of individualism and laissez-faire and adopt the ideas and methods of an experimental social philosophy. The immediate problematic situation which prompted Dewey to advocate an experimental method of social inquiry operating through a renascent liberalism was the lack of integration in contemporary social life manifested by (1) the fragmentation of society into a multiplicity of changing publics with differing needs and demands, and (2) the apparent absence of a public controlling and directing the apparatus of government. Dewey argues that the impact of science on society has been so traumatic that traditional political methods are incapable of dealing with the problems which have been created. However, he does not specify what the alternative methods are, but only commits himself to identifying the conditions which must prevail if the Great Community and a democratically organized Public are to emerge. These conditions are absolute freedom of social inquiry and the widest possible distribution of its conclusions. Given the foregoing conditions, the state will become effectively the instrument of the Public. / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

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Swedish libraries are currently discussing andimplementing the classification system Dewey (DDC).Most libraries in Sweden have used the Swedishclassification system SAB until recently. In 2008 TheRoyal Library of Sweden (KB) decided to switch fromSAB to DDC. Many academic libraries chose to followKB’s example and by January 2011 a switch was made atKB and at many academic libraries.The aim of this master thesis is to examine and analysethe library sector’s discussion that occurred before andduring the Swedish switch from SAB to DDC. The mainquestion asked is; What is being discussed about Dewey2010-2011 and in what manner? To organize and anlysethis discussion discourse analysis is used. Discourseanalysis by Laclau and Mouffe is used both as methodand theoretic ground. The material which has beenanalyzed consists of the library sector’s discussions andstatements found in journals, reports, blogs, meetingprotocols and seminar.The analysis shows four different discourses; thetransition discourse, the spatial discourse, the instrumentaldiscourse and the public library discourse. In conclusion,it can be argued that the transfer to Dewey has gone froma planning stage to an implementing stage at academiclibraries. Public libraries in Sweden have shown lessinterest and are considered to be in a planning stageparallel to the academic libraries implementing stage.Earlier discussions about pros and cons with Dewey havealmost disappeared 2010-2011 and discussions of spatialmatters are frequently occurring in the material. / Program: Bibliotekarie

Zugl.: Innsbruck, University, Diss., 2006.