Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-21T08:55:57.203Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reflections on the Croce—Dewey exchange

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2016

Massimo Vittorio
Massimo Vittorio*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Umane, Università di Catania, Italy
*
∗Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The well-known dispute between Benedetto Croce and John Dewey had several elements at its origin. This article provides a systematic overview of the issues that impinged on this affair, and of the many studies which have dwelt on the exchange between these two philosophers. The underlying American anti-Hegelianism, the language problem and the actual differences in thinking on aesthetics are all fundamental to this mutual misunderstanding. The reasons why Croce had made a limited impact in the United States are discussed. The analysis concludes by highlighting the socio-ethical aspects of Deweyan aesthetics.

Keywords

CroceDeweyaestheticspragmatismHegelianismidealism
Type
Articles
Information
Modern Italy , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , February 2012 , pp. 31 - 49
Copyright
Copyright © Association for the study of Modern Italy 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Carritt, E.F. 1949. Translator's note. In Croce, B., My philosophy, comp. Klibansky, R., trans. Carritt, E.F., 5. London: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Caserta, E.G. 1998. Studi crociani negli Stati Uniti: Bibliografia critica (1964–1984). Naples: Loffredo.Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1921. Essence of aesthetic, trans. Ainslie, D. London: Heinemann. (Originally published as ‘The Breviary of aesthetic’, in The book of the opening of the Rice Institute, 3 vols; vol. 2, 430–517. Houston: Rice Institute, 1912. Later published as Guide to aesthetics , trans. Romanell, P. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1965. Published in Italian as Breviario di Estetica. Bari: Laterza, 1913.) Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1925. Storia del Regno di Napoli. Bari: Laterza. (Published in English as History of the Kingdom of Naples , trans. Frenaye, Frances. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.).Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1940. Intorno all'estetica del Dewey. La Critica 38:348–53.Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1944. Il dissidio spirituale della Germania con l'Europa. Bari: Laterza. (Published in English as Germany and Europe: A spiritual dissension , trans. Sheean, Vincent. New York: Random House, 1944.).Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1945. Discorsi di varia filosofia. Bari: Laterza.Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1948a. On the aesthetics of Dewey, trans. Katharine Gilbert. Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 6, no. 3:203–7.Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1948b. Il carattere di totalità della espressione artistica. In Nuovi saggi di estetica, 3rd ed., 117–44. Bari: Laterza. (1st ed. 1920).Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1949. My philosophy and other essays on the moral and political problems of our time, comp. Klibansky, R., trans. Carritt, E.F. London: Allen & Unwin. (Published in Italian as La mia filosofia. Milan: Adelphi, 1993.).Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1952a. Indagini su Hegel e schiarimenti filosofici. Naples: Bibliopolis.Google Scholar
Croce, B. 1952b. Dewey's aesthetics and theory of knowledge, trans. Frederic S. Simoni. Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 9, no. 1:1–6. (Published in Italian in Indagini su Hegel e schiarimenti filosofici. Naples: Bibliopolis, 1952.).Google Scholar
Croce, B. 2005. Letter 1949.09.25 (11135): Benedetto Croce to Dewey 90th Birthday Committee. In The correspondence of John Dewey, ed. Hickman, L.A., Vol. 3:1940–1952. Charlottesville, VA: InteLex (electronic edition: http://www.nlx.com/collections/132).Google Scholar
Della Terza, D. 1987. Croce in America. In Da Vienna a Baltimora: La diaspora degli intellettuali europei negli Stati Uniti d'America, 197–205. Rome: Editori Riuniti.Google Scholar
Destler, C.M. 1950. Some observations on contemporary historical theory. American Historical Review 55, no. 3:503–29.Google Scholar
Dewey, J. 1934. Art as experience. New York: Minton, Balch and Co.Google Scholar
Dewey, J. 1948. A comment on the foregoing criticisms. Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 6, no. 3:207–9.Google Scholar
Dewey, J. 1978. How we think. In Collected works, ed. Boydston, J.A., The Middle Works, 1899–1924, vol. 6:1910–1911. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press (electronic edition: http://www.nlx.com/collections/133). First published 1909.Google Scholar
Dewey, J. 2005a. Letter 1947.11.15, no. 13449: John Dewey to Thomas Munro. In The correspondence of John Dewey, ed. Hickman, L.A., Vol. 3:1940–1952. Charlottesville, VA: InteLex (electronic edition: http://www.nlx.com/collections/132).Google Scholar
Dewey, J. 2005b. Letter 1926.11.12, no. 04946: John Dewey to Joel E. Spingarn. In The correspondence of John Dewey, ed. Hickman, L.A., Vol. 2:1919–1939. Charlottesville, VA: InteLex (electronic edition: http://www.nlx.com/collections/132).Google Scholar
Di Giovanni, P. 2002. Dal confronto Croce–Dewey sull'estetica: una terza via. In Croce e Dewey. Cinquanta anni dopo, ed. Colonnello, P. and Spadafora, G., 213–33. Naples: Bibliopolis.Google Scholar
Douglas, G.H. 1970. A reconsideration of the Dewey–Croce exchange. Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 28, no. 4:497–504.Google Scholar
Gilbert, K. 1948. See Croce, 1948a.Google Scholar
Granese, A. 2002. Pragmatismo deweyano e filosofia dello spirito crociana. In Croce e Dewey. Cinquanta anni dopo, ed. Colonnello, P. and Spadafora, G., 69–88. Naples: Bibliopolis.Google Scholar
Gullace, G. 1981. Benedetto Croce's poetry and literature: An introduction to its criticism and history. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.Google Scholar
Leopardi, G. 1921. Zibaldone di pensieri, 29 settembre 1823. In Pensieri di varia filosofia e di bella letteratura. Florence: Le Monnier.Google Scholar
Marinetti, F.T. 2006. In this futurist year. In F.T. Marinetti: Critical writings, ed. Berghaus, G., trans. Thompson, D., 231–7. New York: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux. (First published in Italian as ‘In quest'anno futurista’. Milan: Direzione del Movimento Futurista, 1914.).Google Scholar
Moss, M.E. 1987. Benedetto Croce reconsidered: Truth and error in theories of art, literature and history. Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England.Google Scholar
Moss, M.E. 2002. Benedetto Croce e John Dewey sull'universale estetico. In Croce e Dewey. Cinquanta anni dopo, ed. Colonnello, P. and Spadafora, G., 21–35. Naples: Bibliopolis.Google Scholar
Munro, T. 2005. Letter 1947.10.31, no. 13448: Thomas Munro to John Dewey. In The correspondence of John Dewey, ed. Hickman, L.A., Vol. 3:1940–1952, Charlottesville, VA: InteLex (electronic edition: http://www.nlx.com/collections/132).Google Scholar
Orsini, G.N.G. 1953. Note sul Croce e la cultura americana. In Benedetto Croce, ed. Flora, F., 359–66. Milan: Malfasi.Google Scholar
Orsini, G.N.G. 1961. Benedetto Croce: Philosopher of art and literary critic. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.Google Scholar
Pepper, S.C. 1939. Some questions on Dewey's aesthetics. In Schilpp, P.A., The Philosophy of John Dewey, 369–90. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.Google Scholar
Roberts, D.D. 1994. La fortuna di Croce e Gentile negli Stati Uniti. Giornale Critico della Filosofia Italiana 53, nos. 2–3:253–81.Google Scholar
Roberts, D.D. 1995. Croce in America: Influence, misunderstanding, and neglect. Humanitas 8, no. 2:3–34.Google Scholar
Romanell, P. 1949. A comment on Croce's and Dewey's aesthetics. Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 8, no. 2:125–8.Google Scholar
Santayana, G. 1903. Croce's aesthetics. Journal of Comparative Literature 1, no. 2:191–5.Google Scholar
Santayana, G. 1904. What is aesthetics?. Philosophical Review 13, no. 3:320–7.Google Scholar
Santayana, G. 1936. Obiter scripta: Lectures, essays, and reviews, ed. Buchler, J. and Schwartz, B. New York: Scribner.Google Scholar
Santayana, G. 2005. Letter 1932.06.04, no. 20170: George Santayana to Max Eastman. In The correspondence of John Dewey, ed. Hickman, L.A., Vol. 2:1919–1939. Charlottesville, VA: InteLex (electronic edition: http://www.nlx.com/collections/132).Google Scholar
Simoni, F. 1952. Benedetto Croce: A case of international misunderstanding. Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 11, no. 1:7–14.Google Scholar
Téry, S. 1945. Picasso n'est pas officier dans l'Armée française. Lettres françaises V, no. 48 (24 March 1945):6.Google Scholar
Thompson, D. 1944. Strictly personal. Saturday Review of Literature 27:33.Google Scholar
Weiczen-Giuliani, L. 2005. Letter 1943.06.05, no. 13103: Leo Weiczen-Giuliani to Sidney Hook. In The correspondence of John Dewey, ed. Hickman, L.A., Vol. 3:1940–1952, Charlottesville, VA: InteLex (electronic edition: http://www.nlx.com/collections/132).Google Scholar
Wilde, O. 1903. A woman of no importance. Paris: [n.p.].Google Scholar
Wimsatt, W.K. Jr and Brooks, C. 1957. Literary criticism: A short history. New York: Knopf.Google Scholar