Korean Edition of Garrison-Hickman-Ikeda Dialogue Published
Korean edition of Living as Learning: John Dewey in the 21st Century
SEOUL, South Korea: Maekyung Publishing recently
released a Korean edition of Living as
Learning: John Dewey in the 21st Century, a dialogue between Daisaku Ikeda,
Jim Garrison and Larry Hickman.
Dr. Jim Garrison, professor at Virginia Tech
University, and Dr. Larry Hickman, professor emeritus of Southern Illinois
University Carbondale, are renowned scholars of the American philosopher and
educator John Dewey (1859–1952) and past presidents of the John Dewey Society.
Dewey left a deep impact on educational philosophies around the world, including
in China and Japan.
Dr. Hickman (left), Dr. Garrison (center) and Mr. Ikeda (right) in conversation (Nagano, August 2008)
The dialogue is in four chapters which, in light
of Dewey’s thought, explore topics including bullying, education at home and in
the classroom and lifetime learning, as well as themes such as technology,
religion in the global era and the meaning of philosophy. The authors also
discuss commonalities between the educational philosophies of Dewey and Soka
Gakkai founder and educator Tsunesaburo Makiguchi.
Dewey himself greatly valued dialogue with all
kinds of people, as the chapter on Dialogue
and Democracy unpacks. Face-to-face
dialogue was for Dewey the stronghold of democracy. As the authors point out,
he exemplified the virtues of his theory of democratic dialogue in his
personality, practicing what he proclaimed without being distant and
disconnected like many philosophers.
As Mr. Ikeda states, “without the warmth of the
human heart, the world is a savage place. To build the foundation for a
harmonious society … we need creative dialogue that brings people together in
spirit and promotes their mutual elevation and growth.”
[Adapted from an article
in the August 12, 2021, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan]
