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

Protocole d'entente entre l'Université Laval et l'Université de Sherbrooke / D’emblée, cette thèse s’est donnée une orientation générale soucieuse de penser ensemble les dimensions théorique et pratique de l’éthique. Dans cette perspective, le pragmatisme de John Dewey s’est vite imposé comme cadre conceptuel permettant de lui fournir des assises épistémologiques rigoureuses tout en ouvrant la voie au développement d’outils pratiques visant la résolution de problèmes concrets. Ainsi, savoir et savoir-faire pourraient se nourrir mutuellement. S’inscrivant dans la foulée de la théorie de l’évolution de Darwin, la philosophie de Dewey adopte un naturalisme rejetant tout dualisme opposant le corps et la pensée. L’expérience humaine est abordée dans sa continuité avec l’environnement naturel et social qui est le sien. Langage, idées et théories peuvent dès lors être conçus comme autant d’instruments contribuant à améliorer notre adaptation aux changements constants de cet environnement. Produites dans l’expérience et validées par elle, si précieuses soient-elles, nos connaissances générales seraient d’une utilité limitée sans les ressources cognitives d’une être capable de raisonner dans des contextes chaque fois uniques. Sur le plan éthique, une éducation se limitant à l’apprentissage de grands principes moraux ne suffira donc pas à orienter adéquatement la conduite humaine. Son rôle étant d’habiliter à trouver les solutions les mieux adaptées à des problèmes spécifiques, l’éducation morale doit d’abord viser le développement d’habiletés intellectuelles contribuant à l’autonomie de chacun et de chacune. Une approche réflexive de l’éthique s’impose donc selon Dewey, mais cela sans toutefois renier l’importance des normes et des habitudes, incluant les dispositions morales. Pour lui, le travail de reconstruction ou d’amélioration de la théorie éthique doit s’abreuver à plusieurs sources. D’abord des connaissances que nous pouvons dégager à même notre propre vie morale. Ensuite, des théories éthiques dont nous disposons déjà pour jeter un éclairage utile sur nos pratiques. Enfin, de toutes les disciplines susceptibles de contribuer à une meilleure compréhension de la conduite humaine. En développant une conception naturaliste de la logique accompagnée d’une théorie de l’enquête fournissant les grandes étapes d’une méthode de résolution de problèmes, Dewey nous offre la possibilité de rapprocher le savoir du général du savoir-faire du singulier. Sur le plan épistémologique, cette thèse débouche sur une conception probabiliste de l’éthique. Sans prétendre à quelque certitude, la pensée réfléchie contribue à augmenter la probabilité que l’agent moral contrôle son action de manière à produire de meilleurs résultats qu’en s’en remettant exclusivement à ses impulsions, à ses désirs, à ses habitudes ou aux normes en vigueur. Sur le plan pratique, elle mène à l’hypothèse que l’explicitation des valeurs en tension dans une situation problématique contribue à augmenter la qualité d’une délibération et de la décision qui en résultera. Cela s’accompagne aussi de la nécessité de proportionner la délibération à l’importance des enjeux identifiés à même le processus d’enquête. John Dewey a produit une théorie de la valuation qu’il disait inachevée et qui devait selon lui être « développée et perfectionnée » par un usage approprié encore inexistant. Cette thèse défend l’idée que l’explicitation des valeurs pourrait bien être cet usage approprié permettant de mieux résoudre nos problèmes éthiques pratiques. Nous pensons donc qu’elle peut contribuer, comme le souhaitait Dewey, au « développement d’une théorie de valuation comme instrument efficace ». C’est ainsi que nous aurons atteint notre objectif d’un enrichissent mutuel de la théorie et de la pratique de l’éthique. / The general approach at the start of this thesis was to merge the theoretical and practical aspects of ethics. From this perspective, John Dewey’s pragmatism rapidly became the conceptual framework on which to base solid and rigorous epistemological foundations leading to the development of practical tools to resolve concrete problems. Knowledge and know-how could therefore benefit from true synergy. Along the same lines as Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, Dewey’s philosophy adopts a naturalistic posture rejecting any dualism opposing mind and body. The human experience is considered in its continuity within its natural and social environment. Language, ideas and theories can therefore be viewed as many instruments contributing to improving our adaptation to constant changes in this environment. Broad knowledge is gained, built and validated by experience. But however valuable this knowledge may be, it would be of limited usefulness without the cognitive resources of the human capacity to reason in ever unique situations. From an ethical point of view, education limited to the learning of major moral founding principles would then be insufficient to adequately guide human conduct. Moral education with its role of providing means to better resolve specific problems, must first aim to fully develop intellectual abilities to enable individual autonomy. Therefore, from Dewey’s point of view, a reflexive approach to ethics is necessary without however denying the importance of norms and habits, including moral disposition. Dewey views the reconstruction or the improvement of the theory of ethics to be fuelled by different sources: from the knowledge we gain from leading our own moral life, from existing ethical theories we can draw from to help us shed light on our own practices and finally, from all disciplines that may contribute to a better understanding of human conduct. In developing a naturalistic concept on logic supported by an inquiry theory outlining the global steps of a problem-solving methodology, Dewey provides the opportunity to close the distance between broad knowledge and specific know-how. From an epistemological point of view, this thesis launches a probabilistic concept of ethics. Without claiming to any certainties, reflective thought contributes to increasing the probability that moral agent can control their actions for better results rather than base them only on impulse, desire, habit or standard conventions. From a practical point of view, this leads us to hypothesize that the explicitation of conflictual values within a problem situation contributes to increasing the quality of deliberation and, from there, to increasing the probability that the decision resulting from it will yield better results. This also entails that the deliberation be proportionate to the importance of issues identified within the inquiry process itself. John Dewey elaborated a theory of valuation which he qualified as incomplete and, according to him, to be “developed and perfected” through an appropriate but still inexistent use. This thesis advances that explicitation of values may be this appropriate use which can help resolve concrete ethical problems. We believe this notion may contribute, as Dewey wished, to the “development of a theory of valuation as an effective instrumentality”, thus achieving our goal of mutual enrichment of both theory and practice of ethics.

Zugl.: Berlin, TU, Diss.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 223-232).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 215-225). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2002. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 286-296). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

My study looks at the influence that Matthew Arnold, 19th century English poet and literary critic, had on John Dewey, American pragmatist and educational philosopher. While the influence of Arnold on Dewey was more pervasive than I had expected, my real purpose in writing this dissertation was to discover a middle ground between the educational philosophies the two men espoused and to construe a fuller approach to a pluralistic educational philosophy. I have looked at four aspects of mind that draw Arnold and Dewey into close correspondence. The first aspect I have called the tentacled mind from Dewey's favored metaphor of the mind as having tentacles that reach out and encounter directly the physical world. This aspect of mind allows me to look at the common use that both Arnold and Dewey made of the term "experience." The second aspect of mind I call the critical mind. I have explored this aspect of mind by looking at a brief history of English literary criticism from Dryden to Stanley Fish. The third aspect of mind is the intentional mind which deals with the rhetorical-hermeneutic relationship of mind to the intentionality of other voices and to its own intentionality. This aspect crosses into reader response theory, but I have found within it results that differ significantly from traditional reader-response theory. The final aspect of mind I have called reflective-response. In both Arnold and Dewey the reflective aspects of the mind differ widely from more contemplative conceptions of the mind in a reflective state; most notably for both Arnold and Dewey the reflective mind is never passive. I believe that when these four aspects of mind are brought together they amount to a truly pluralistic educational philosophy. In the course of my argument I have, as well, identified a need to rehabilitate both the concept of intentionality and that of authority. / text

In the ongoing critical discourse about education, the status of aesthetics has always played second fiddle to the main arguments about what constitutes a relevant curriculum. Aesthetics is seen by many educators as a frivolous experience---at best a weak substitute for serious learning. This is the issue that Dewey addressed in his philosophy of aesthetics, and this is also where my focus lies in this thesis. / The thesis is a personal and theoretical examination of John Dewey's aesthetic philosophy as it is principally expressed in Art as Experience . In exploring the personal implications of the aesthetic experience, the thesis investigates Dewey's argument that the aesthetic is an intrinsic part of life. It demonstrates Dewey's emphasis on the productive presence of the aesthetic in the cultural life of society.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.