The primary Dewey Center, founded in Carbondale, still remains today and is one of 10 in the world. Located just down Oakland Avenue, it is possible to miss a uniquely rich part of history.

Global researchers currently have to seek out Carbondale if they want physical copies of the work of American philosopher John Dewey. However, the center is working to not only establish locations worldwide, but also ensure every center contains as much of Dewey’s work as possible.

The newest edition to the Center for Dewey Studies was officially inaugurated in Salvador, Brazil in October, and plans for a center in Paris began on Sunday.

“It’s a very beautiful place and beautiful people,” said Larry Hickman, Director of the Center for Dewey Studies in Carbondale.

Hickman said other countries are looking into different ways to improve their educational system, not by telling other countries what to do, but by providing a place for people to think.

John Dewey was an American philosopher who influenced education with his democratic beliefs. George Axtelle conceived the idea of making the Center for Dewey Studies in Carbondale. With the collaboration of Axtelle’s editor and Dewey’s wife who inherited his work after he died, the Center for Dewey Studies in Carbondale was built in 1972.

All Dewey Centers are connected to a university, but Carbondale’s is valuable because it holds all of the collected works Dewey established.

Now, other Dewey Centers count on getting the documents they need to build their Dewey Centers from right here in Carbondale, IL. Visitors from around the world stay anywhere from a day to a year helping to collect research for the Carbondale Center for Dewey Studies.

SIUC provides a lot of the funding, including the building itself for the Dewey Center. However, with the budget cuts it is always a little more difficult to provide everything that the Center would like to offer for visitors, Hickman said.

He said more people take advantage of the Dewey Center if they are taking a philosophy course, and they provide tours for people who would like to know more about the center and John Dewey.

“There is no shrine to Dewey here. We protect Dewey’s work,” Hickman said.

Matt Ryg, liaison for the Center for Dewey Studies and research assistant in Carbondale, said he believes American philosophy is much like analytical philosophy.

“It’s not just the Dewey Center, it’s an American philosophy center,” he said. “His philosophy is not traditional. He makes freedom a reality. Other countries don’t take for granted some of the human rights Americans do. Dewey is potent. He turns tradition on its head.”

James Downhour, assistant to the director at the Center for Dewey Studies in Carbondale, said other countries where the Dewey Centers are being built are dealing with issues in education and democracy. For example, a few years ago China was looking into higher education, which lead to people from China visiting the Carbondale Dewey Center.

“I’m amazed by the amount of influence Dewey has had nationally and internationally, as well as highly regarded around the globe,” Downhour said.

Carbondale’s Dewey Center sends other countries printed editions of “The Collective Works of John Dewey” as well as a cookie that provides them with his work electronically.

Downhour said with other countries welcoming the Dewey Center for Studies, it allows more conferences in different areas. The conferences are important to keep connected with other centers.

Erin Johnson can be reached at 

[email protected] 

or 536-3311 ext 254.