Some of Dewey's ideas now feel like common sense, though this is only a testament to the extent of which he has shaped modern educational systems. His ideas bridged multiple fields, in particular philosophy, psychology and education. I see his main idea consisting of three intertwined concepts: growth, democracy and education. **(Why) Growth - the ethical ideal**  - We cannot have one fixed ultimate goal - The capacity to learn and adapt is the only true endpoint - Stagnation, dogmatism are anti-ethical **(Social how) Democracy** - Not solely politics or voting, but a way of living that permeated everything from school, family and institutions - Free interaction between different groups - Daily practice of mutual respect, communication, ... **(Methodological how) Education** - Intentional organisation of experiences that develop the habits of the mind ([[Patterns of operation|patterns of operation]]) - Education is life itself, the way in which democracy and growth can be sustained - This is why he was a proponent of [[Reflection|reflection]] and learning by doing, etc. These ideals together overcome some of the common criticisms of having true democracies - particularly that of citizens not being capable of producing good decisions hence doing it by proxy of voting for representatives. Though, what if the schooling system could be set up in a manner that could produce a constantly educating population that was capable of deep reason and mutual respect - to result in a stable and ethical society, rather than one which relies on human greed to produce economic efficiencies (see [[Our obsession with efficiency|our obsession with efficiency]]). Like [[Macroeconomics|macroeconomics]], such arguments are absurdly difficult to empirically test. To Dewey, traditional free-market [[Capitalism|capitalism]] was inherently incompatible with the ethical ideals of [[Democracy|democracy]], where it was hypocritical to have political democracy whilst sustaining industrial autocracy. I have a feeling that given automation, Dewey's ideals will become increasingly relevant (as of date 3/11/2025). See [[Given automation, what should education be for?|given automation, what should education be for?]]