© Columbia University Press
The Undiscovered Dewey: Religion, Morality, and the Ethos of Democracy
December, 2008
Cloth, 352 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-14486-5
$45.00
/ £31.00
"The book is a welcome and thoughtful contribution . . . Recommended." — Choice
"The Undiscovered Dewey wrestles intelligently with a central question regarding John Dewey's political thought-his optimism and holism-and defends a view that's both controversial and interesting." — Eric MacGilvray, Ohio State University
"Melvin L. Rogers’s The Undiscovered Dewey is the best book on our greatest public philosopher since Robert Westbrook's classic text. It is one of those rare works that would make John Dewey smile and Richard Rorty grin from the grave." — Cornel West, Princeton University
"If you don't know much about John Dewey's writings on religion, ethics, and politics, this book is the ideal place to start. If, on the other hand, you think you have Dewey pegged, you should still read the volume, for every chapter will surprise and instruct. Melvin L. Rogers has provided a bold, fresh, exhaustively researched reinterpretation of America's greatest democratic theorist." — Jeffrey Stout, Princeton University, and author of Democracy and Tradition
"If John Dewey too seldom dwelt on the darker dimensions of human experience and the necessary limits within which we struggle to enrich our lives, he well knew they were there. Melvin L. Rogers rescues Dewey from the brightly lit, ever-smiling caricature drawn by his critics, ably portraying him in chiaroscuro and giving us a democratic philosopher not of naïve optimism but of chastened hope. Precisely what we need." — Robert Westbrook, University of Rochester, and author of Democratic Hope: Pragmatism and the Politics of Truth