One of 67: Joseph Kinmont Hart and the Founding of the John Dewey Society

• In Event: Biographical Sketches of Visionary and Transformative Educators

Abstract

In Daniel Tanner’s Crusade for Democracy: Progressive Education at the Crossroads (1991/2002), J. K. Hart (1876-1949) is listed as a founding member of the John Dewey Society (105). He also is listed as one of a small number of “leading figures” who constituted the Board of Contributors of The Social Frontier, along with such luminaries as Charles A. Beard, Boyd H. Bode, Merle Curti, Lewis Mumford and John Dewey (50). This paper presumes that students of the history of the John Dewey Society (JDS) are as familiar with the names Beard, Bode, and Dewey, as they are unfamiliar with Hart. Who was Hart and why is his contribution to philosophy of education and to the John Dewey Society typically overlooked?

Author

• Deron R. Boyles, Georgia State University