Lunchtime Talk: Kevin Taylor

Lunchtime Talk: "Can't Get There From Here: Spirituality of the Possible"

Kevin Taylor

Kevin Taylor is Director of Religious Studies and Associate Professor of Teaching at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Memphis. He graduated from SIU Carbondale in 2017 and has published on Dewey and technology in Education & Culture: The Journal of the John Dewey Society. He has published on topics including friendship, waste, mindfulness, and women in Buddhism. His current research focuses on John Dewey's time in Japan in the Spring of 1919.

Lecture: Thursday, November 12, 2026, 1:00pm

Join us for brownbag lunch reception before the lecture at 12:30pm!

Abstract

Thomas Alexander's interpretation of John Dewey's A Common Faith identifies a “spirituality of the possible” grounded in openness to an unfinished world. More than a method of experimental inquiry, this spirituality describes an orientation toward existence in which ideals are not fixed realities but possibilities to be imagined, pursued, and realized. It concerns not only how we approach problems but how we understand ourselves and our possibilities for growth and transformation.

This work-in-progress presentation explores Alexander's interpretation through the kōan practice of the eighteenth-century Japanese Rinzai Zen master Hakuin Ekaku. Kōans disrupt habitual ways of thinking, opening new possibilities for experiencing the world. For Hakuin, awakening is a genuine attainment, but it also opens possibilities for further cultivation. His emphasis on meditation-in-the-midst-of-activity extends this practice into everyday life. Reading Hakuin through Alexander suggests that spiritual attainment need not bring growth to an end but can instead make further transformation possible.

Location: Center for Dewey Studies, Morris Library Basement, Room 0044

Remote Participants: Register for Talk on Zoom

Center for Dewey Studies Lunchtime Talks

The Center for Dewey Studies is the home of research, publishing, and outreach focused on the life, work, and legacy of the American philosopher and educator John Dewey. Our Lunchtime Talks feature speakers researching Dewey and related thinkers, work in the pragmatist tradition, and work in a broadly Deweyan spirit.

Lunchtime Talks Page

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Center for Dewey Studies
Matthew J. Brown, Director
Morris Library, Room 0044
605 Agriculture Drive
Mail Code 6822
Carbondale, IL 62901

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Phone:: (618) 453-4347
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Information

Dewey Center Reading Group

The Center for Dewey Studies hosts a Reading Group on works by and about John Dewey and related figures and topics. The meetings are hybrid, in person at the Center and via Zoom. For more info and to join the group, email DeweyCenter@SIU.edu.

The Fall 2026 readings focus on Dewey's political writings from 1903-1927 prior to The Public and Its Problems (1927). We meet Fridays at 1:00pm Central Time.
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Please consult the John Dewey Research Guide for information about Critical Editions and Archival Collections. For questions concerning access to the SIU Archival Collections, including the John Dewey Papers, Photograph Collection, and Personal Library, please visit the Special Collections Research Center website. The Dewey Center also holds a small number of archival materials.
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The Center for Dewey Studies is located in the Morris Library on the Basement Level. After entering the library, head down one level and look for signs pointing towards the Center.

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