Book description
About The Book: "The Quest for Certainty: A Study of the Relation of Knowledge and Action" by Dewey examines the tension between pursuing fixed truths and embracing uncertainty. Dewey argues for accepting diverse ideas while retaining control over actions, emphasizing the role of methodical inquiry in naturalizing intelligence. He proposes…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Quest for Certainty as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I have been frustrated for years at how much philosophy fails to find ways of both acknowledging the astounding achievements of modern science and responding to how exclusive focus on the sciences can seem to make the world mechanical and meaningless.
Instead of seeing science as the search for a timeless true picture of the world, Dewey shows how to attend to all the ways in which we actively participate in and interact with the world. This chimes with my experience that being actively involved in music makes more sense of the world than almost anything else I do.
From Andrew's list on why so much modern philosophy fails to make real sense of the world.
If you love The Quest for Certainty...
Natural Religion: A None's Journey of Religious Discovery
My grandfather, Earl Clement Davis (1876-1953) was a Unitarian minister from 1905-1953. Born a year after he died, I never knew him. But I inherited a trunk of his manuscripts. Growing up without any religion, I was surprised to discover in these century-old writings a compelling approach to religion, one…
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