 Dewey’s reply would be that while theory is one kind of experiencing, it is not where we start; theory is an intermediate phase of inquiry. As we live our lives, we confront problems which invoke the need for inquiry and, often, there is a need to devise a tool of explanation and amelioration. Theory is that tool, generated by these encounters; it does not come first. “The vine of pendant theory”, Dewey wrote, “is attached at both ends to the pillars of observed subject-matter” (EN, LW1: 11; see also 386).