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John Dewey's first academic appointment was to the department of philosophy at the University of Michigan where he taught from 1884-1894. Toward the end of that period he became engaged in an arduous re-examination of his whole philosophical outlook. One aspect of this process was a transition from a position of religious idealism to the social ethic of democracy. We wish to call attention to two papers in this early phase of Dewey's career which indicate this shift: “Christianity and Democracy” (1893) and “The Ethics of Democracy” (1888).

For some time I have believed we owed it to ourselves to have a more rational discussion of the role of Dewey's thought in American education. His thinking is too firmly embedded in our tradition for us to profit from attempts to hide his works with a shroud, or to exorcise his spirit with clichés. This is as foolish as reiterating his words endlessly as if on a Tibetan prayer wheel.