Abstract

The end in view of this dissertation is to examine John Dewey's theory of character as found in the late nineteenth century with an eye toward its application to contemporary attempts to reweave our vocabulary of moral deliberation in order to accommodate the new beliefs arising from the novel conditions inherent in our culture as we enter the twenty-first century. This study will begin by reviewing recent scholarship on young Dewey's ethical theory, particularly that of Jennifer Welchman. Young Dewey is contextualized in the American evangelical tradition bequeathed by Jonathan Edwards. Personal relationships in Dewey's early years are also examined, since Dewey's theory of character can only he understood in the light of his own character and those of the individuals who influenced his development. This dissertation will concentrate on John Dewey's first two major attempts at addressing his concept of character: Psychology, published in 1887, and Outlines of a Critical Theory of Ethics, published in 1891. The Study of Ethics: A Syllabus, published in 1894, is viewed briefly in the conclusion. In his early career, John Dewey articulated a theory of individual character which is wide in its breadth and deep in its insight. The parallel between the America of Dewey's youth and America as we find it today offers the opportunity to learn from our own intellectual history. Young John Dewey offers a vision of what individual character in a democracy should be which merits close study