 These three major influences, plus Dewey’s own discoveries, convinced him that “experience” was the linch-pin to a broader theory of nature and humanity’s axiological place within it. More than just another node in a system, experience also amounted to a metaphilosophical method, a way of doing philosophy. Within this Weltanschauung, philosophy was not a rational bridge to transcend life, but was equipment for living. Thus, clarifying what experience meant assumed the greatest importance, insofar as this was vital to philosophy earning back its status as a wisdom which might aid survival, growth, and flourishing.