15 h 14 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the future of a democracy depends on how its children learn to live together?
In Democracy and Education, John Dewey asks what schooling is for—and why a free society depends on the answer. He sees democracy as more than voting or government. It is a shared life, where people learn from one another across lines of class and nation.
For Dewey, schools should be small communities, not factories for obedient workers. He explores how experience gives rise to thinking, why learning means growth, and how aims guide action. At stake is the way a society renews itself through its young, and whether education helps people take part in life together.
What you’ll discover
- Schools as living communities Explore why Dewey wants schools to practise the shared life that democracy requires.
- Growth without a finish line Consider an education whose purpose is continued growth, rather than an end beyond itself.
- Thinking rooted in experience Follow Dewey's account of learning back to experience and the thinking that arises from it.
- Aims that guide action Examine how aims grow from present activity and give direction to what people do.
- Divisions worth questioning Rethink the splits between mind and body, theory and practice, labour and leisure.
Who will love it
For teachers, parents, students of philosophy and anyone who wonders what school is really for. Ideal for readers who enjoy seeing how learning from experience, shared interests and school communities shape a free society.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Education is how a society renews itself
- The school is a chosen environment
- Growth is the aim with no end beyond itself
- Democracy is a way of living together
- Aims must grow out of present activity
- Thinking begins in real experience
- Interest, effort and the curriculum
- Breaking the old dualisms
- How the book has fared and been challenged
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 15 h 14 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Démocratie et éducation in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Démocratie et éducation
by John Dewey · 1916
Dewey turns the classroom into a small community where learning from experience helps sustain a free society.
Challenging10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
What kind of school does a free people need? John Dewey asked that question in Democracy and Education, published in 1916 after years of teaching at the University of Chicago, where he ran an experimental school, and at Columbia University.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Education is how a society renews itself
Every living thing must renew itself, and a human community does it through its young. People die, so the beliefs, skills and hopes of a group survive only if they are passed on. Dewey calls this transmission.
It does not begin in school. A child learns by living among adults, joining their work, copying their speech and absorbing their habits of praise and blame. Schooling is only a special case of a much wider process.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Démocratie et éducation
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Democracy and Education about?
It is John Dewey's account of what education is and why a democratic society needs it. He argues that schools should be real communities where students learn by solving problems and sharing experience, preparing them for a life as active citizens.
What does Dewey mean by democracy in this book?
Dewey sees democracy as a mode of associated living, not only a form of government. A democratic society has many shared interests and free, open contact between groups, so that people learn from one another.
When was Democracy and Education written?
It was published in 1916, after Dewey had taught at the University of Chicago and Columbia University. It is a work of philosophy, not a story, and it draws on his experience running an experimental school.
The author
John Dewey
1859–1952 · American philosopher and educational reformer
John Dewey (1859–1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer. He was born in Burlington, Vermont, and died in New York City. He taught at the University of Chicago and Columbia University. His books include How We Think (1910), Democracy and Education (1916), and Human Nature and Conduct (1922).
More by John Dewey
All 7 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
