John Dewey (1859-1952) was a major American philosopher and a
leading liberal commentator on public affairs. After 1900 he
became a leading exponent of pragmatism or as he called it,
"instrumentalism". - The philosopher who perfected pragmatism
was John Dewey (1859-1952). Dewey advocated the theory of
instrumentalism, saying that the intellect is something that
works instrumentally toward future experiences, or a means for
processing problems effectively. Contrary to James, who admitted
religious truth, Dewey dealt only with everyday life, excluding
any metaphysical thought.  Dewey was especially influential as
the philosopher of "progressive education." He sought the
reconstruction of society through education in which children
discovered knowledge for themselves rather than repeat rote
learning. Dewey was one of the main intellectual forces behind
American liberalism, 1900-1930, especially in his emphasis that
the spirit of democracy has to be lived daily rather than be
merely a procedural device for electi