ABSTRACT
John Dewey (1859-1952) is another seminal thinker who, for all the preeminence in his
heyday, is often ignored today by mainstream research in the mind sciences and ana-
lytic philosophical circles. Sport philosophy and the philosophy of education mind his
work better, but he is not central to mainstream discourse. A recent volume edited by
Lally, Anderson, and Kaag, aptly titled Pragmatism and the Philosophy of Sport (2013),
and Hochstetler and Hopsicker’s article ‘The Heights of Humanity’ (2012) partially
address this neglect. Presently, this essay highlights Dewey’s holistic view of human nat-
ure, bodily cultivation, and their contribution to excellence. Much as Hume awoke Kant
from his dogmatic slumber, so James influenced Dewey. Shusterman shows how James’
Principles of Psychology (1918) was exceptional for Dewey, who normally eschewed
academic works in order to vet his ideas with life’s experience (2008, 181). Of his
plethora of ideas, those of ‘habit’, ‘body-mind’, the ‘continuity of experience’, and
‘self-cultivation’ are critically discussed here.
