유기체적 삶의 변화와 Dewey의 탐구 개념에 관한 고찰- Dewey의 LOGIC: THE THEORY OF INQUIRY을 중심으로 -

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to newly define the meaning and significance of Dewey's concept of inquiry. A precedent studies on the Dewey's concept of inquiry focus on problem-solving ability, method of acquiring knowledge, correlation between educational end and inquiry, concept deriving from interaction between organism and environment. This study will characterize Dewey's concept of inquiry as an organism's mode of adaptation to the changing environment. The life of organism including human-being is layed in a continuity of change. To change presuppose a movement. The pivotal point of change has a certain mode. The organism constantly move in interaction to the environment and lead their lives as a result of their movements. The life does not exist in a determinate situation but consist of continued indeterminate one. That organism including human-being lead their own lives is only a continued process that convert indeterminate situation to determinate one. Here, to convert indeterminate situation to determinate one implies that the phases in their lives are progressing towards the situations better than those of now. As for Dewey, the mechanism that shift indeterminate situation to determinate one is inquiry. The inquiry that lead the indeterminate situation to determinate one is a universal principle of the nature, which turns the environmental conditions altered by interaction between the organism and environment to those of the lives of organism. In terms of this, Dewey(1964: 19) mentions that inquiry is an adaptation of means to consequences in the activities of living creatures. Accordingly, the inquiry as a mode of adaptation in an organism is to become the most generic form of naturalistic theory which exists in every area of life and in every aspect of every area of the organism. Dewey's concept of experience, habit, value, and growth can be regarded as the products gained from its adaptation to the environment. In other words, Experience is organism's qualitative action formed from inquiry as an organism's mode of adaptation. Habit is mode of organical action that leads to continuous experience in the subsequent adaptation process. The value is to judge criterion which effectiveness of earlier experience, habit formed in the process of adaption. Growth is optimizated adaptability toward enviornment that constituent of experience, habit, value formed in the process of adaptation is accumulated. Therefore, the inquiry as a mode of adaptation to the environment will underlie the aforementioned concepts. Conclusively, the inquiry in an organism including human-being can be characterized as a mode of an organism's adaptation to the environment.