John Dewey's thought, in his article "The Quest for Certainty: The Construction of Good", emphasizes the social dimension of inquiry in its processes and consequences. Genuine inquiry begins with an "indeterminate situation" or confusion. This perplexity leads to the articulation of the nature of the problem. Next, a hypothesis is created to try to solve this problem. The use of "instruments", or concepts, clarifies the hypothetical solution. In the end, all that is left is to test the solution to see if it achieves the desired result. It would be reasonable to claim that Dewey's above theory of inquiry cannot be fully understood (in the meaning of its central doctrines or the significance of its originality) unless there is consideration on how it applies to social values, which is the main concern of his ethical and social theory.
             Moral and social problems, for Dewey, are concerned with the guidance of human action to the achievement of socially defined ends that satisfy life for those that it concerns. Dewey does not seem to specify what constitutes a socially defined life. He leaves that open to interpretation.
             The appropriate method for solving moral and social question is the same as that used to solve questions concerning matters of fact. An empirical method that examines problematic situations, the gathering of relevant facts, and the consideration of possible solutions, bring resolution to original problems. Dewey stresses the need for an open-ended, flexible, and experimental approach to the problems of attaining human goods and an examination of consequences to promote them.
             The central focus of Dewey's criticism of the tradition of ethical though is its tendency to seek solutions to moral and social problems in dogmatic principles with simplistic criteria. These simple criteria he thought were not capable of dealing with the changing requirements of human events. Dewey found the reason of traditional dogmatic appro...