The quest for knowledge without presuppositions, the quest for
certainty, the quest for dogmatism and orthodoxy and rigidity is
over
. – Cornel West
John Dewey’s The Quest for Certainty: A Study of the Relation of
Knowledge and Action (1929) is one of his most important and
influential works. Its themes of reciprocal relationship, rejecting
binary oppositions, and the primacy of experience, combined with
its powerful criticism of traditional philosophy, continue to make
it both read and relevant. The book is divided into eleven
chapters: 1) “Escape from Peril”; 2) “Philosophy’s Search for the
Immutable”; 3) “Conflict of Authorities”; 4) “The Art of Acceptance
and the Art of Control”; 5) “Ideas at Work”; 6) “The Play of
Ideas”; 7) “The Seat of Intellectual
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2834 words
Citation:
Svehla, Lance. "The Quest for Certainty". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 February 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=24994, accessed 19 April 2024.]
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