Dewey viewed inquiry as organism-environment mutual adjustment

Evidence

Dewey does not aim at judgments that shall be absolutely ‘true’, or condemn their contradictories as absolutely ‘false’. In his opinion there is a process called ‘inquiry’, which is one form of mutual adjustment between an organism and its environment. — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 2928

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines Dewey’s concept of ‘inquiry’ in biological, evolutionary terms.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 2928
• XREF: connects to: Ideas and practical life mutually influence each other in a reciprocal interaction — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 2169; Dewey judged past-event beliefs by their future effects — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 2934; These elements in turn imply an outlook that is progressive (in the sense of forward-looking), secular, and experimental, and that is commonsensical without making a fetish of common sense-for common sense is a repository of prejudice and ignorance as well as a fount of wisdom. R.W. Sleeper has helpfully summarized the pragmatic outlook in describing Dewey’s philosophy as ‘a philosophy rooted in common sense and dedicated to the transformation of culture, to the resolution of the conflicts that divide us.’ Also apt is Cornel West’s description of the ‘common denominator’ of pragmatism as ‘a future-oriented instrumentalism that tries to deploy thought as a weapon to enable more effective action.’ (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Abstract systems do not colonise the life-world but interact dialectically with it #complicates (0.75) — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 347
• Marx and Engels saw labor, speech, and brain development as mutually reinforcing evolution #corroborates (0.45)
• Human culture originates in the socially mediated relation between man and nature #expands (0.40)