a thought stemming from Dewey

Reading Dewey, Art as Experience, in connection with my class.

As usual, I don’t really enjoy reading Dewey, even though he has some undeniable insights. What’s the problem with his writing? Strangely enough, I think it’s too lacking in density. That might sound strange, since density is usually seen (for understandable reasons) as a stylistic vice. And often enough it is.

Not always, though. Dewey has a certain way of not being technical enough when listing his main thoughts on any topic. As a result, it is easy to become distracted and lose his point. One can easily get very far into this book without really knowing for sure what Dewey thinks aesthetic experience is.

Of course I’m in favor of clear and user-friendly writing. But the structural skeleton of one’s thoughts should also be visible through all the decoration. A balance between the two is needed.