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  ...to serve the sick in a plague at almost certain danger to his own life must be interested in the efficient performance of his profession -- more interested in that than in the safety of his own bodily life. But it is distorting facts to say that this interest is merely a mask for an interest in something else which he gets by continuing his customary services -- such as money or good repute or virtue; that it is only a means to an ulterior selfish end. The moment we recognize that The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.   the whole situation clears up. A man's interest in keeping at his work in spite of danger to life means that his self is found in that work; if he finally gave up, and preferred his personal safety or comfort, it would mean that he preferred to be that kind of a self. The mistake lies in making a separation between interest and self, and supposing that the latter is the end to which interest in objects and acts and others is a mere means. In fact, self and interest are two names for...   Dewey, John

Excerpt from Democracy and Education: an introduction to the philosophy of education · This quote is about action · Search on Google Books to find all references and sources for this quotation.


A bit about Dewey, John ...

John Dewey (October 20, 1859 June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, whose thought has been greatly influential in the United States and around the world. He is recognized as one of the founders of the philosophical school of Pragmatism (along with Charles Sanders Peirce, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and William James), a pioneer in functional psychology, and a leading representative of the progressive movement in U.S. education during the first half of the 20th century.

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