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the “response to pluralism in thought and values, and indeed
[the] capacity to generate pluralism […] is therefore critical
to the destiny of democracy.” You simply cannot have one with
the other. For Dewey, “morals” further society through what he
calls “overt and obvious conduct” – “overt action.” The
decisions that are made and the actions that are taken that
further society arise from “conscious deliberating,” a
“disciplined” inquiry where “conscious purpose, conscious
desire, and deliberate reflection” are demanded. And as I wrote
before, it is this sort of thought, “reflective thought” and the
whole of a “conscious life,” that breed those “morals.” Again,
it is thought that not simply allows for “variation,” the “novel
and variable” but welcomes it, embraces it, urges it, that will
bring this forth. And, in the end, this sort of “reflective
thinking” and the disciplined and deliberate “action” which
arise from it nurture not only society but the self as well. As
he writes, “[T]he self is not something ready-made, but
something in continuous formation through choice of action”
(336, emphasis mine). In this way, “self-interest” is also at
the same time “social-interest,” “a separation between interest
and self” (336) existing as nothing but a “false notion.” Like
those other relationships I have already described, the
relationship between the “self” and “society” is no different
according to his philosophy of education. The rise of the one
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