# Human Nature and Conduct — Key Concepts & Themes

> Key concepts in Human Nature and Conduct by John Dewey.

- [Habit and Custom as the Foundation of Conduct](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/concepts/cos-habit-and-custom.md): Dewey argues that habits, not reason or instinct, are the primary drivers of human conduct, and that customs are collective habits that shape individual character and moral standards.
- [Social Environment Shapes Morality](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/concepts/cos-social-environment-and-morality.md): The book emphasizes that moral character and conduct are functions of social conditions and interactions, not innate qualities, and that changing individuals requires changing their environment.
- [Impulse and Intelligence as Agents of Change](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/concepts/cos-impulse-and-intelligence.md): Dewey presents impulse as the source of novelty and renewal, while intelligence (reflective thought) is necessary to direct impulses toward constructive reorganization of habits and customs.
- [Critique of Traditional Morality and Dualisms](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/concepts/cos-critique-of-traditional-morality.md): The book criticizes moral theories that separate mind from body, reason from habit, and individual from society, arguing they create false dichotomies and hinder genuine moral progress.
- [Education as Social Reproduction or Transformation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/concepts/cos-education-and-docility.md): Dewey examines how the plasticity of youth is exploited by adults to impose existing customs, but argues true education should foster inquiry, experimentation, and the ability to reshape social conditions.
- [Freedom as Intelligent Deliberation, Not Arbitrary Choice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/concepts/cos-freedom-and-deliberation.md): Freedom is redefined as the capacity for deliberate, imaginative rehearsal of possible actions in light of consequences, rather than an uncaused will or mere spontaneity.
- [Social Psychology as the Study of Collective Habit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/concepts/cos-social-psychology-and-collective-habit.md): Dewey contends that social psychology should focus on how customs and institutions shape individual minds, not on how individual minds form society, reversing traditional psychological assumptions.
- [Moral Judgment as Prospective and Consequential](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/concepts/cos-moral-judgment-and-consequences.md): The book argues that moral judgment should be forward-looking, focused on modifying conditions and future outcomes, rather than backward-looking praise, blame, or retribution.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/human_nature_and_conduct_se/concepts