Dewey’s Link with Daoism: Ideals of nature, cultivation practices, and applications in lessons

Abstract

This article explores the pedagogical implications of John Dewey’s claim that his definition of experience is shared by Daoists. It compares characteristics of experience with those in Daoism, and then considers the similarities and differences between key cultivation practices each proposes, focusing on the roles of the teacher and sage. My main reference to Daoism is the translation of the Daodejing by Roger Ames and David Hall, who use Dewey’s conception of experience to explain the character of Daoism. There are two facts that Dewey chooses to define experience and link with Daoism—what it is not, and what it is. Comparisons of these facts with Daoism support Dewey’s claim: both define the ‘what is’ as the principle of unity of opposites. While sharing this view, their proposals for its cultivation reveal similarities, but also some significant differences. The Daodejing gives the Daoist sage a major role to play in the cultivation process of other persons, as does Dewey for the teacher. However, unlike Dewey’s teacher who guides the process, the sage is to create a cultivating environment, thus allowing the sage to ‘let go.’ The Daoist practices offer new ideas to consider in the quest for experience in lessons.

Keywords:

• Daoism
• Dewey
• experience
• instruction
• nature

Acknowledgments

This article is a revision of a paper presented at the 2013 American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference. I am grateful for the helpful comments and encouragement given by the participants who attended my presentation, Jim Garrison, and Victor Kobayashi. I would also like to thank the associates of Educational Philosophy and Theory for their comments and for the opportunity to share my thoughts with others.

Notes

1. This article uses the pinyin system of writing Chinese words in Romanization. The D in Daoism is written as a T in the Wade-Giles system. The pinyin system has become the standard system of Romanization in recent decades. It was devised to represent a standard phonetic system based on Mandarin.

Daoism became one of the ‘Hundred Schools of Thought’ in around the second century BCE, but its beginnings are thought to have existed in the teachings of the legendary Yellow Emperor of China and Master Lao. Researchers question whether or not Master Lao was a historical figure. Many believe the text Daodejing (or Laozi) was written by numerous Daoist scholars over a period of time (de Bary, 2008, p. 51). In this article, the authors of the text are referred to as Daoists. The Daoist text, Zhuangzi, bears the name of the author (ca. 360–280 BCE).

2. Daoism is often associated with qi, the energy of life that flows through all living things (chapter 42). Qigong is a school that works with this life energy. It is through its practices that qi is controlled to allow it to cleanse and flow in the body to promote good health. I have omitted including the idea of qi in this article because of its focus on the technical character of the wu environment. Also, I consider the study of controlling qi a difficult one that takes time to master, and, as such, can be dangerous if not applied properly.