Communication as the Creation of Meaning as Described by Dewey

Abstract

Dewey's theory of communication stands alone as one of the most important components of his philosophical thought. Despite the numerous studies done on it, no serious attempt has been carried through to properly fit it into his thought. Dewey is primarily concerned with elucidating how human growth occurs as the result of the creation of meaning. I propose that one is necessarily bound to ponder how his communication theory relates to his thought. In this paper, my crucial concern is to consider communication as a process of creating meaning as a necessary step in order to discuss his communication theory. This project is briefly summarized as follows. (1) The phenomenon of communication Communication depends on a variety of conditions. First, a situation with a common aim must exist. Subsequently, each person shared in the situation must be willingly engrossed in achieving this aim and the attitude held must be one of open-mindedness. According to this phenomenon, individuals must regulate their actions from the standpoint of others to consummate the common aim. Thus, communication is cooperative activities amongst the participants of the process. (2) The process of meaning creation When communicating, people first attempt to understand how each other acts to achieve a common aim. The property of action represents "meaning" as primarily described by Dewey. Then, people recognize the property of the objects used among them, that is, "meaning" as secondarily described by Dewey. In short, people actively participating in the communication create meaning. Thus, according to Dewey, communication is a consensus of actions, and meanings come together to enhance the process. Consequently, communication is the process which makes human life rich in meaning and human developed.