Critique of Traditional Morality and Dualisms

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.

Dewey critiques the dualistic separation of will from habit, mind from body, and individual from environment, which he sees as foundational to traditional moral philosophy.

Dewey criticizes the separation of motive and act, inner and outer, subjective and objective, arguing that these dualisms stem from ignoring the projective force of habit.

Dewey attacks the dualism between self-love and altruism, and the fixed classification of instincts, arguing they are artificial and hinder moral growth.

Dewey criticizes the dualism between work and play, useful and useless, and the Puritanical distrust of art, arguing that art and play are moral necessities.