John Dewey (1859–1952) was the pre-eminent philosopher in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century, and his thinking has had an ongoing influence in America and in a great diversity of nations and cultures around the world. He is widely recognized as one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. Dewey's naturalistic understanding of the religious dimension of experience, his identification of the religious life with the democratic way of life and his concept of piety toward nature constitute a significant contribution to liberal religious thought. An appreciation of Dewey's personal religious faith clarifies his primary concerns and major objectives as a philosopher, educator and social reformer.

John Dewey was born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1859, just before the Civil War in the United States, and he died in 1952 in New York City at the beginning of the cold war. His life spans a period in the United States of extraordinary intellectual, economic and social change driven by scientific enquiry, technological innovation, industrialization, urbanization and the democratic ideal. His career as a philosopher was devoted to reconstructing philosophy in an effort to help society adjust to the modern world and realize the creative possibilities for human development presented by democracy and the scientific method.

Dewey is best known for his contributions in four areas. First, he was a leading proponent of evolutionary naturalism and humanism.