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Reflections on the Croce—Dewey exchange

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2016

Massimo Vittorio
Massimo Vittorio*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Umane, Università di Catania, Italy
*
∗Email: m.vittorio@unict.it
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Abstract

The well-known dispute between Benedetto Croce and John Dewey had several elements at its origin. This article provides a systematic overview of the issues that impinged on this affair, and of the many studies which have dwelt on the exchange between these two philosophers. The underlying American anti-Hegelianism, the language problem and the actual differences in thinking on aesthetics are all fundamental to this mutual misunderstanding. The reasons why Croce had made a limited impact in the United States are discussed. The analysis concludes by highlighting the socio-ethical aspects of Deweyan aesthetics.

Keywords

CroceDeweyaestheticspragmatismHegelianismidealism
Type
Articles
Information
Modern Italy , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , February 2012 , pp. 31 - 49
Copyright
Copyright © Association for the study of Modern Italy 

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