Highlight Of The Experience, Action And Effect

In the middle and late 19^th century, the development of philosophy entered a dilemma. Dewey criticized the traditional philosophy, pointing out that its dilemma was due to its obstinate pursuit for certainty. To bring philosophy out of the dilemma, one must pay attention to what had been long ignored, to the combination of theory and practice, and to providing humankind with rational instruction. Thus Dewey set up his philosophical ground, i.e. the empirical naturalism and instrumentalism, which was directly concerned with the structure of Dewey's value theory, and laid emphasis on experience, action and effect.Dewey's value theory has three important points: theoretical setting; the relationship between objective and means; the relationship between fact and value. Therefore, this thesis tends to study Dewey through three lines: naturalistic value theory, transcendental value theory, and sentimentalism, by which we can see how Dewey inherited and developed the naturalistic value theory, how he was opposed to transcendental value theory and sentimentalism, and how he argued for his naturalistic value theory. This is also an overall display of Dewey's value theory.The empirical naturalistic ground made Dewey apply a naturalistic approach to the study of value theory. This approach believes that value comes from natural and empirical facts and that the way to grasp value is empiricism. Dewey was both deeply influenced by past naturalistic value theory and he also made revision and development of it.As a researcher of naturalistic value theory, Dewey showed a negative attitude towards transcendental value theory. His focus of criticism lies in values-in-themselves. Dewey thinks, values-in-themselves results in the separation of objective and means. It is not only unrealistic and common, but it is also despotic. Therefore, Dewey makes a new analysis of the relationship between objective and means, and based on this, he further suggests a value theory which can help us guide our action by reason. He introduced scientific methods and experiments to construct value theory, which is to emphasize experience, action and effect.Although emotivism theory represented by Ayer accepts the connection between value judgment and experience, but it denied the scientific aspect of value theory, doubts about the objectivity of value judgment thinks that facts are separate from...