Boyd Henry Bode, John Dewey, and the Problem of Consciousness

• In Event: Curriculum and Communication: Dewey’s Influence on Our Professional Lives

Abstract

John Dewey followed William James in arguing that people learned from experiences. Bode argued that neither philosopher explained how people applied previous impressions to new situations. The solution that Bode chose was to remove the need for an intermediary, such as consciousness, in the reflex arc of stimulus and response. He claimed the stimulus had an added dimension of meaning. For example, the sight of a flame presented to a child a variety of meanings, such as heat, pain, or pleasure. Arguing that meanings controlled thought, Bode defined education as the reconstruction of personal experience enabling people to find different meanings through which to see the world and, thereby, to recognize alternatives for action.

Author

• Joseph L. Watras, University of Dayton