Experience, education and democracy

One of the most well-known and influential theorists in the field of education is the American pragmatist philosopher John Dewey. This chapter examines a small selection of Dewey's liberal humanist ideas about education. In Experience and Education, Dewey famously wrote: Experience and education cannot be directly equated to each other. For Dewey, education is a social process and the school is a social community. In Democracy and Education, he wrote: 'A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience'. Dewey perceived democracy in three senses: as the protection of popular interests; as social inquiry; and as the expression of individuality. The word 'pedagogy' has its origins in Ancient Greek language and philosophy, where paideia referred to the rearing and education of young people, towards an ideal of perfection.