John Dewey

John Dewey. © Benoît Labourdette.

John Dewey (1859-1952), an American pragmatist philosopher, who placed experience as a central axis in the construction of thought and democracy, had a very great influence in the first half of the 20th Century, in politics, psychology, philosophy, pedagogy (Célestin Freinet, for example, claimed to be inspired by Dewey’s thought). Then it was forgotten, seen as too optimistic.

John Dewey’s thought has been back in the spotlight since the end of the 2000s. In my opinion, it is a precious tool to accompany the implementation of efficient human cooperation systems: in his book “The Public and its Problems” (1927), he postulates that no political system can function if it is not capable of questioning itself in depth as experiences are made. In his book “Art as experience” (1934), he argues that art is first and always a lived, shared experience, and not an external and superior object.

The work of art is generally identified with the building, book, painting or statue whose existence is on the fringes of human experience. Since the true work of art is in fact composed of the actions and effects of that product on experience, this identification does not promote understanding.

John Dewey is inspiring because, in contrast to the quest for “good principles”, his thinking supports the legitimacy of concrete and agile methods of experimentation, which seem to me to be the most suitable for actions, especially cultural ones, in our uncertain and constantly changing world, particularly due to digital upheavals and ecological changes.


Build antifragility for cultural projects

Methodological proposal.

What methodology should be adopted to build cultural projects that have the capacity to tame uncertainty and thus become more deeply rooted in their objectives? Methodological proposal, based on the thesis of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the (...)

12 June 2020
11 min  
The living being

A film by Benoît Labourdette (5’27s, 2018).

Discovering in the materiality of the world that a work of art is not what it seems.

6 April 2018
MJC Dole: “Image Education: Popular Education for the 21st Century?”

Lecture by Benoît Labourdette for proposals for philosophical and practical tools of thought on the challenges of digital and images. The aim is to collectively equip themselves to carry out popular education initiatives in the 21st Century in (...)

11 April 2019
3 min  
Towards the cultural experience

Essay, by Emmanuel Vergès

In the construction of cultural proposals, focus attention on the lived and shared experience. Short essay on the philosophy of action and the function of art.Benoît Labourdette’s work, between By my window and street projections, makes me think (...)

20 May 2020
1 min  
In the cave (2001)

Second album in 2001, consists of 15 pieces for nightlife, a little claustrophobic in vocal and physical consonances. Composition from actual sound of whispering resonances. Granular soundscape times. Webs of human voice and articulated (...)

1 November 2001
Ouest France : Make live movies outside the walls

The daily Ouest France published an article on « Kaleidoscope show » at Les Sables d’Olonne (France), January 15, 2015.http://www.ouest-france.fr/faire-vi... ArticleMake live movies outside the walsSmall lantern association organized Friday (...)

17 January 2015
1 min  

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