A CONVERSATION BETWEEN JOHN DEWEY AND RUDOLF STEINER: A COMPARISON OF WALDORF AND PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION

Abstract

John Dewey and Rudolf Steiner were contemporaries who each launched radical worldwide educational approaches: Progressivism and Waldorf schools. Each wrote and spoke about his philosophy and formulated concrete ways to put it into practice in schools. Steiner wrote over sixty books and 6,000 essays, lectures, and artic1es.l Dewey was such a prolific writer that whole books have been published as Dewey bibliographies.2 In many respects, Dewey and Steiner differed greatly in their philosophies and methods, but they also shared some common premises about education. With many professional parents sending their children to Waldorf schools, it is time to look at Waldorf education from a Deweyan perspective. Although John Dewey and Rudolf Steiner were born only three years apart and both published extensively on philosophy and education, there is no evidence that they ever met. Since Dewey was a person who exchanged ideas as if conversants were learners in a common enterprise, and since Steiner had an almost missionary zeal to share his approach to education, one can imagine them having a lively dialogue, had they ever met.3 Presented here is an imaginary conversation between the two that elucidates the similarities and contrasts in their approaches to education. Whenever appropriate, direct quotations are used to preserve their own styles of expression. While I have tried to present both men’s philosophies as fairly as possible, I find it easier to present Dewey than Steiner. My apologies to Steiner fans for any slant this paper has toward Dewey. Throughout this conversation, certain deeply held principles of each man will be evident. Both believed in evolution. Steiner was of the Hegelian camp which believed that spirit, Absolute Reason, was behind all evolution. Dewey was of the pragmatist camp that