A comparison of philosophical beliefs of John Dewey and Karl Marx relevant to school curriculum

Purpose. This study is an attempt to identify, analyze, compare, and illustrate the foundations of the doctrines of John Dewey and Karl Marx with an emphasis on the fundamental beliefs of the two philosophers concerning educational issues particularly the school curriculum.;Procedures. The major publications and selected speeches of Dewey and Marx are analyzed and compared to outline the major similarities and differences between their doctrines as related to the purpose of the study. About one hundred and sixty secondary sources were studied and cited to support the conclusions that were drawn as the result of analyzing the primary sources of the two philosophers. Accordingly, two charts were developed to display graphically the most significant similarities and differences between the essential beliefs of Marx and Dewey.;Findings. The similarities between the philosophies of Dewey and Marx include their beliefs regarding religion, economics, politics, social and individual freedom, and schooling. Both Marx and Dewey believe in the importance of compulsory education. They recommend a type of curriculum that is constantly renewed and includes the Three R's and current vocational courses. At the same time they agree that it is the government's responsibility to accept the educational costs of the nation without interfering in actual process of education.;Unlike Dewey, Marx emphasizes a national core curriculum that is primarily concerned about the social aspects of schooling and is applied without local adjustments. Dewey, on the other hand, believes in a state core curriculum that is more concerned about the psychological aspects of learning and provides a liberal right for the local districts to make proper changes to satisfy their own needs.;This study also rediscovered that Karl Marx was deeply influenced by Hegel and Feuerbach although he finally disassociated himself from their philosophies to form his own philosophical system. Similarly, it was found that John Dewey did primarily benefit from the philosophies of Hegel and Marx. But it becomes apparent that in the 1920s, Dewey became a true disciple of Thomas Jefferson particularly in pure practice of democracy and science as the most appropriate and practical solutions to mankind's problems and obstacles.