Democracy and Education · Chapter
History and Present Social Life explained
Dewey argues that history must be studied not as a dead past but as a key to understanding present social life.
What happens
Dewey argues that history must be studied not as a dead past but as a key to understanding present social life. He advocates for the genetic method, which traces the growth of present conditions through their historical development. He critiques the misuse of biographical and primitive history when divorced from social context, and emphasizes the value of industrial and intellectual history for revealing the common struggles and progress of humanity. History's ethical significance lies in cultivating socialized intelligence and insight into contemporary society.
Themes in this chapter
Social Function of Education
History is presented as a tool for understanding present social life and cultivating socialized intelligence, fulfilling education's social function.
Experience and Learning by Doing
The genetic method and study of industrial history emphasize learning through tracing the process of making, connecting past experience to present understanding.
Critique of Traditional Curriculum
Dewey criticizes conventional history teaching that isolates past events from present life, and the misuse of biography and primitive history as mere sugar-coating.
Key passages
“The past just as past is no longer our affair. If it were wholly gone and done with, there would be only one reasonable attitude toward it. Let the dead bury their dead. But knowledge of the past is the key to understanding the present.”
The past in isolation is irrelevant; its value lies in illuminating the present.
Dewey establishes the central thesis that history must be studied for its relevance to current social life.
“The true starting point of history is always some present situation with its problems.”
History should begin with contemporary issues and work backward to understand their origins.
This encapsulates Dewey's pragmatic approach to historical study as a problem-solving tool.
“Economic history is more human, more democratic, and hence more liberalizing than political history.”
The study of economic history focuses on common people and their livelihoods, making it more inclusive and enlightening than political history.
Dewey advocates for a democratic and human-centered approach to history education.