John Slifko, PhD presents an overview of John Dewey's beliefs on the use of rhetoric and communication.

1. John Dewey & the Philosophies of Rhetoric
By John Slifko, PhD

2. John Dewey
(1859-1952)
The American pragmatist,
John Dewey studied the
power of communication
in many of his important
works on education and
philosophy.

3. Education
By the turn of the century, John
Dewey's experiment in education
had captured the attention of
teachers at every level of the
teaching system. Its radically
new teaching practices
represented a turning point, not
only for formal education but
also for larger views of childhood
learning.
Source: Watson Schütze, E. (n.d.). John Dewey,
Philosophy and Education. Retrieved November 9, 2015.

4. Dewey came to the University of Chicago in 1892. He was appointed to
head the Department of Philosophy, where his experimentalism blended
well with the views of George Herbert Mead and Tufts. In addition to
fulfilling his departmental obligations and administering the School of
Education, Dewey published several books and articles on education and
philosophy. The School and Society (1899) became a classic among
progressive educators.
Source:
Watson Schütze, E. (n.d.). John Dewey, Philosophy and Education. Retrieved November 9, 2015.

5. The concept of communication is a central feature
in much of John Dewey’s social thought.

6. Dewey on Communication
He once wrote: "Of all affairs, communication is
the most wonderful." For him communication is
the highest of the "arts of life," for it is in
communication that society is born and nurtured.
It is by communication that we discover the
possibilities of nature. And it is through
communication that we make our shared
experience meaningful.
Source: Crick, Nathan (2005) John Dewey on the Art of Communication. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

7. Philosophies of Communication
Before delving deeper into Dewey’s beliefs
on the concept of communication, it is
imperative to look at other perspectives from
philosophers like Socrates, Plato and
Aristotle.

8. Socrates’ Philosophy on Rhetoric
Premise 1: Truth is knowable.
Premise 2: Rhetoric only works
if one is ignorant — ie: people
who do not study anything do
not know what’s going on…
Premise 3: Rhetoric is powerful

9. Therefore…
According to Socrates,
Rhetoric is dangerous (bad)
The ethical person will speak the truth without
regard to the rhetorical effects.
Example: Academic & Science (these are
objective; only report facts & ignore rhetoric..
numbers don’t lie)

10. Plato’s Philosophy on Rhetoric:
Premise 1: Truth is knowable.
Premise 2: Rhetoric only works
if one is ignorant.
Premise 3: There is always some
who will be ignorant.
Premise 4: Rhetoric can help
those who are ignorant live
intelligent lives.

11. Therefore…
According to Plato,
The purpose of rhetoric is to help the
ignorant to live intelligent lives (Ethical
Rhetoric)
Examples: missionaries, parent-child
relationships, politicians, etc.

12. Aristotle’s Philosophy on Rhetoric:
Premise 1: Most important
truths are unknowable.
Premise 2: But, some
guesses are better than
others.
Premise 3: Rhetoric can help
us make better guesses.

13. Therefore…
According to Aristotle,
Rhetoric is ethical when it attempts to help us
make better guesses.
Examples: law courts, First Amendment,
humanistic side of academics (not science)

14. Dewey’s Philosophy of Rhetoric:
Ideas about communication provide the interrelated
basis for (a) for Dewey’s speculative views on the
genesis of human intellect and human society, (b) for
his socio-philosophical opinions about the ideal form
of human association (subsumed under the term
community) and (c) for his diagnosis of what he
considered the primary malady of (early twentieth
century) American democracy and its remedy.
Source: Belman, L. S. (1977), John Dewey's Concept of Communication. Journal of Communication, 27: 29–37.

15. Therefore…
According to Dewey, two concepts stand out as
being critical to an understanding of his perspective
on both communication and society. These are the
concepts of empathy and foresight (which he
believes, arise as significant capacities through the
advent of language) are the primary bases for
community and, in their thwarting, the
fundamental factors in the erosion of a democratic
society.
Source: Belman, L. S. (1977), John Dewey's Concept of Communication. Journal of Communication, 27: 29–37.

16. Thanks! — John Slifko, PhD
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