Original scientific paper

John Dewey’s Naturalism as a Model for Global Ethics

Larry A. Hickman ; Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Department of Philosophy, Carbondale (IL), USA

Abstract

This essay considers the lessons about global ethics that John Dewey learned during his international travels, especially during the two years he spent in China, 1919–1921. I argue that Dewey’s naturalism, which is based on an appreciation of the ways in which the work of Charles Darwin can be applied within humanistic disciplines, provides models for cross-cultural discussions of ethics. I suggest that some of the impediments to appreciating Dewey’s contribution to global ethics lie in misreadings and misinterpretations of his work, such as those advanced by Roberto M. Unger. Finally, I suggest that it is unlikely that a global ethics will emerge until human beings transcend narrow supernaturalist and nonnaturalist dogmas and embrace naturalistic world views.

Keywords

ethical naturalism; Darwin’s theory of evolution; global ethics; John Dewey

Hrčak ID:

58367

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/58367

Publication date:

2.8.2010.

Article data in other languages: croatian french german

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