Introduction
The self, for Dewey, is an entity that emerges out of a biological and social milieu, growing and changing over time in transaction with the world. Thus, the self is “not something given once and for all at the beginning which then proceeds to unroll as a ball of yarn may be unwound” (Dewey 1940/1991, 103). Each individual self has a unique past, “a background of experiences long ago funded into capacities and likes” (Dewey 1934/2008c, 93) a present, which at its best becomes an art that manifests “what actual existence actually becomes when its possibilities are fully expressed” (Dewey 1934/2008c, 285), and an ever-unfolding future to be shaped through choices made in conjunction with environing conditions.
This discussion is organized into three main concepts that are essential for understanding Dewey’s account of the self. The first is “impulse,” which helps to clarify how the realms of the individual and social interrelate in constituting the self. The second is...
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References
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Blanken-Webb, J. (2017). Dewey and the Self. In: Peters, M.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-588-4_51
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