Moral Principles in Education

This is a fantastic little book that is very easy to read though packed with philosophical claims and assumptions. In this book Dewey lays out what he sees as the problems of the concept and practice of primary education in the United States. Sadly the problems he addresses of standardization and the expectation of regurgitation of knowledge without any social or historical context have only become worse in the century since Dewey remarked on them. You don't have to be a philosopher to understand this text and it really should be a must read for all teachers, parents, policy makers and critics of the education system in America.

Also, if you are a more seasoned philosopher familiar with the ideas of Martin Heidegger, particularly in his work, Being and Time, you will recognize striking and uncanny similarities to Heidegger's revolutionary ideas.

Dewey's ideas on schools as social and moral institutions are still refreshingly current. This is a short piece that gives solid insight into Dewey's philosophy.