In the fall semester of 2014, I taught a seminar on American philosophy to graduate students in the Philosophy department at National Taiwan University. The main focus of the course was on the work of John Dewey, an American philosopher who, along with his wife Alice, spent over two years in China (1919-1921). The timing of their stay could not have been more momentous. They arrived in China on May 1, 1919, three days before the student uprisings of May 4, 1919. This episode is part of a period now known as the May Fourth movement, during which Chinese thinkers engaged in vigorous debates over traditional customs and values. During his visit, Dewey travelled, lectured, and wrote extensively about his experiences in China. As my students and I read his philosophical works, I am working through Dewey’s own writings from this period: his personal letters, essays, and lectures. What I’ve discovered has enriched my Taiwan experience very much. Obviously, much has changed since John Dewey visited the Republic of China in 1919. Among the most important changes is that the Republic of China is now located on Taiwan. Despite this geopolitical change, what is most striking is how many of
