Chapter 5: The Nature of Freedom

"...I want to say something of the other side of the problem of social control, namely, the nature of freedom. The only freedom that is of enduring importance is freedom of intelligence, that is to say, freedom of observation and of judgment exercised in behalf of purposes that are intrinsically worthwhile" (61).

I absolutely love this statement. When I look at myself and what I deem to be important intellectually, the freedom to observe, identify, categorize, and judge an experience based upon my previous knowledge and/or experiences functions as the tool that truly allows me to progress intellectually. I know where I stand, and I know where I am going. I believe this is what Dewey is speaking of when he mentions something being "of an enduring importance." What could be more enduring than the freedom to learn in a way most in sync with our natural tendencies and abilities?

In reference to a lack of freedom, Dewey states the following: "Its complete absence prevents even a mature individual from having the contacts which will provide him with new material upon which his intelligence may exercise itself" (63). This is really the heart of the matter. When we lose our freedom in any sense of the word, we miss out on experiences that would have given us numerous opportunities for our intellect to expand. I fear this happens too much in our museums.

Despite all of this, Dewey is quick to mention that we must not be fully free: "...there is no intellectual growth without some reconstruction, some remaking, of impulses and desires in the form in which they first show themselves...the ideal aim of education is the creation of the power of self-control" (64). The concept of self-control being the mediating factor in constructing environments in which we strategically utilize freedom to our advantage is a very provocative statement for me. I have never looked at things from this perspective. However, I do see how self-control fits into Dewey's theory of experience; it is the mechanism through which experiences are molded by the individual to complement the experiences they have previously encountered.