Chronology Entry
Year
1920.07.03
Text
Remer, C.F. John Dewey in China [ID D28542].
The first impression that one gets, who tries to arrive at the Chinese estimate of Dewey, is an impression that has been cleverly connected by a Chinese university professor with the second character that is used to represent Dewey's name in Chinese. The second character means 'awe-inspiring'. One who talks with many Chinese about Professor Dewey long enough to get past the first statements that 'Professor Dewey's thoughts are very deep', soon comes upon this feeling of awe. A whole number of the magazine, 'The new education' [Xin jiao yu], was devoted to the educational and philosophical ideas of Professor Dewey. The writers, who are the most capable of any Chinese in the country to so, undertake no critical analysis of Dewey's teachings. After some search no attempt is discoverable on the part of anyone to make such a critical analysis. No one has attempted to distinguish between the ideas of Professor Dewey that was useful in China today and those that are not useful. No one has raised a voice to say that they may be harmful. But it is perhaps too soon to find any further effect than the first one. The Chinese are too polite to subject the ideas of a guest to critical analysis when he is still a guest.
Professor Dewey, by means of his lectures which are interpreted as they are given, has reached thousands of Chinese. These lectures are translated into Chinese and are published in the leading magazines and newspapers of the country. These printed lectures are carefully studied by many.
The first impression that one gets, who tries to arrive at the Chinese estimate of Dewey, is an impression that has been cleverly connected by a Chinese university professor with the second character that is used to represent Dewey's name in Chinese. The second character means 'awe-inspiring'. One who talks with many Chinese about Professor Dewey long enough to get past the first statements that 'Professor Dewey's thoughts are very deep', soon comes upon this feeling of awe. A whole number of the magazine, 'The new education' [Xin jiao yu], was devoted to the educational and philosophical ideas of Professor Dewey. The writers, who are the most capable of any Chinese in the country to so, undertake no critical analysis of Dewey's teachings. After some search no attempt is discoverable on the part of anyone to make such a critical analysis. No one has attempted to distinguish between the ideas of Professor Dewey that was useful in China today and those that are not useful. No one has raised a voice to say that they may be harmful. But it is perhaps too soon to find any further effect than the first one. The Chinese are too polite to subject the ideas of a guest to critical analysis when he is still a guest.
Professor Dewey, by means of his lectures which are interpreted as they are given, has reached thousands of Chinese. These lectures are translated into Chinese and are published in the leading magazines and newspapers of the country. These printed lectures are carefully studied by many.
Mentioned People (1)
Dewey, John
(Burlington 1859-1952 New York, N.Y.) : Philosoph, Pädagoge, Psychologe
Subjects
Philosophy : United States of America
Documents (2)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1920 |
Remer, C.F. John Dewey in China. In : Millard's review ; vol. 13 (July 3, 1920). Remer, C.F. John Dewey's responsibility for American opinion. In : Millard's review ; vol. 13 (July 10, 1920). |
Publication / DewJ84 | |
| 2 | 1977 | Keenan, Barry C. The Dewey experiment in China : educational reform and political power in the early Republic. (Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, Council on East Asian Studies, 1977). (Harvard East Asian monographs ; 81). | Publication / Kee3 |
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