Matthew J. Brown, director of the Center for Dewey Studies reads “Experience and Nature,” which is the focus of an upcoming interdisciplinary, international conference. Dewey’s 1925 book is included in “The Later Works of John Dewey, Volume 1, 1925-1953,” published by SIU Press. (Photo by Russell Bailey)
September 24, 2025
SIU to host international gathering on philosopher John Dewey’s ‘orienting text’
CARBONDALE, Ill. — An interdisciplinary, international conference next month at Southern Illinois University Carbondale will examine one of American philosopher and educator John Dewey’s most important works.
“‘Experience and Nature’ is Dewey’s big philosophical statement of his world view in his later works,” said Matthew J. Brown, SIU’s Center for Dewey Studies director and a professor of philosophy. “It also represents his attempt to bring together his thinking on philosophy, experience, values as well as science and nature and the human mind into one statement on what philosophy is about. Philosophers have found that of enduring significance – this is kind of an orienting text.”
John Dewey’s “Experience and Nature”: A Centennial Celebration will feature more than 40 presentations, including panel discussions from some of the foremost Dewey scholars. Initiated by SIU’s Center for Dewey Studies and sponsored by American Philosophical Association and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the conference is set for Oct. 16-18 in the SIU Student Center, with online registration due Oct. 9. Registration for the conference is open to the general public, and SIU Carbondale faculty, staff and students can register for free. The keynote addresses on Thursday afternoon, Friday morning, and Saturday afternoon are free and open to the public, as is the Thursday evening reception and poster session.
“Dewey is perhaps more well known for his work on education, democracy, science, inquiry and art, but in ‘Experience and Nature,’ he ties everything together in a comprehensive account of existence and human nature.”
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover John Dewey’s :”Experience and Nature: A Centennial Celebration” on Oct. 16-18. For more information, call 618-453-4347 or email deweycenter@siu.edu.
Two of the three keynote presenters have SIU Carbondale connections. Steven Fesmire, chair of Radford University’s Department of Philosophy and Religion, earned his doctorate from SIU and presented a lecture on campus in April 2025 on moral fundamentalism and stupid decisions. Mark Johnson, a cognitive linguist, philosopher and ethics expert, is the Philip H. Knight Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, emeritus at the University of Oregon and taught in SIU Carbondale’s philosophy department from 1977 until 1994. The third keynote speaker, Roberta Dreon, an expert on Dewey’s account of art and experience, is a professor in the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in Italy. Another presenter, Robin Zebrowski, professor and chair of cognitive science at Beloit College, is an expert on artificial intelligence and robotics in relation to cognitive science, and her work is very much inspired by Dewey’s views on the relationship between biology and the mind, Brown said.
“I’m excited that we are going to be bringing together such a large group of scholars from around the world who are interested in these topics and Dewey’s thought,” Brown said. “I think it’s going to be a very dynamic set of conversations, and I expect not just the formal presentations, but a lot of informal conversations, generating new ideas and collaborations.”
Dewey’s theories ‘absolutely are relevant’
Brown believes the conference will bring a better understanding of Dewey’s ideas, which “absolutely are relevant today,” even though he lived from 1859 to 1952.
“I think we are still struggling with issues that Dewey was facing 100 years ago – understanding the significance of science for our picture of the meaning of our existence and our place in nature; dealing with threats to democracy,” Brown said. “One hundred years ago, Dewey was looking at the rise of fascism around the world. Today, we are also looking at a lot of skepticism and challenges to democracy and democratic governance. Dewey was trying to lay out a philosophical foundation for democracy and science.”
Leading center for everything Dewey
The Center for Dewey Studies, located in the basement in Morris Library, is the main institution in the world for the study of John Dewey’s works, life and legacy.
Initially established as the Cooperative Research on Dewey Publications in 1961, the center has published the definitive critical edition of Dewey's writings as “The Collected Works of John Dewey,” “The Correspondence of John Dewey” and “The Class Lectures of John Dewey.” SIU is the home of Dewey’s archival papers, manuscripts, and correspondence, which are housed in the Morris Library’s Special Collections Research Center, along with Dewey’s personal and professional library.