reconstruction of philosophy

The problem in the book “Reconstruction in Philosophy” was that, people in the earlier years upheld tradition and values by past experiences. Instead of calling it “memory” we call it tradition, in the book Dewey say’s values are embedded in social traditions. In memory there are two factors that must relate to each other, values which are the traditionally, conservative factor, we have to conserve what we value, the second factor is facts, we have to know how to progress. Tradition was held at a very high standard than facts were they were never connected because people were not open to change, because they followed memories of past history. Past civilization, followed past history and past religion, it was more tradition and little science involved in thoughts. People did not question life, they just followed what everybody thought was right. Dewey gives an example of Socrates in the book “Reconstruction in Philosophy” and explain how Socrates tried to put together thoughts and values but because of old traditions his new way of thinking was not accepted by most, ultimately leading to his demise. In the second chapter, Dewey introduces the philosopher Francis Bacon; Bacon thought knowledge is the most important factor but he rather new knowledge than old knowledge. Dewey states that Francis bacon is “the great forerunner of the spirit of modern life”; he embraces change, the world changes and peoples old tradition does not fit in the new world anymore. We have o change our values because the old tradition does not fit the new values. We have to adjust the way we think, adapt and change the way we think to changing situations. This addresses the problem of why philosophy needs to be reconstructed, as time goes by things change, ...

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...Our ability to be flexible in our thought and adapt them to new situations is how we change in modern society. Changes in thoughts and action creates solution, it makes a difference to other individuals and society. Thought alone cannot make any progress but if you apply thought and action to solve problems then you can produce a change. The experimental method teaches people how to use science and relate it to facts and values, as a method of reaching solutions to problems. Also the action of talking, thinking and drawing inferences, responding and providing feedback improves the relationship. This method works in every aspect of our lives; we use this method when forming relationships with others. When we learn from past experiences and work together with each other, we can relate with each other, we can learn from each other and better our understanding.