Educazione e Storia: la lezione di John Dewey

Abstract

This article deals with Dewey’s ideas about the role of History in the school and in the human and social life. Two are the main goals: firstly, to analyze a neglected aspect in Dewey’s thought; secondly, to put into evidence how Deweyan thesis on this topic is an interesting point to be discussed and deepened by the researchers in the Science of education and, particularly, in its epistemological aspects. Dewey says that education and life are coincident; at the same time he states that History is life. Therefore, History and Education are necessarily in a very close interaction if educational challenge means to build up conscious and responsible subjects and societies. This implies – this is the conclusion of the paper – that, on epistemological perspective, History may be considered the most important of the categories, which define the conceptual structure of Educa tion.