George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) was widely considered one of the most significant figures in classical American pragmatism, along with William James, Charles Sanders Peirce, and John Dewey. He was a philosopher and social theorist who made important contributions to the field. Mead’s friend, John Dewey is known to have celled him “the primary mind of the very first order.”
By the middle of the twentieth century, Mead’s reputation was greatest outside of professional philosophical circles. Many consider him to be the father of the school of Symbolic Interactionism in sociology and social psychology, though he did not use this terminology. John Dewey was a major influence on Mead’s philosophy, largely because of their friendship. There is no doubt that Mead and Dewey had a lasting influence on each other, with Mead contributing an original theory of the development of the self through communication. This theory has been influential in the work of Jürgen Habermas in recent years.
Mead is well-known for his work on the self and intersubjectivity, but he also developed a theory of action and a philosophy of nature that emphasizes emergence and temporality, in which the past and future are perceived by the lens of the present. Although the extent of Mead’s reach is significant, he never published a monograph. The book Mind, Self, and Society: From the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist, was published after his death and is a compilation of his student’s notes and unpublished manuscripts.
Mead attended Oberlin College from 1879 to 1883, then Harvard University from 1887 to 1888. At Harvard, he studied under Josiah Royce, a philosopher deeply indebted to G.W.F. Hegel, who also made a lasting impression on Mead. After college, Mead became a staunch naturalist and non-believer, but over the years he struggled with the religious beliefs he inherited from his family and community. For a period of time after college, he even considered a career in Christian social work, but in a letter to his friend Henry Castle in 1884, he explained why this career path would be problematic.
Mead was indeed moving away from his earlier religious roots, but the activist spirit stayed with him. Mead marched in support of women’s suffrage, served as treasurer for the Settlement House movement, delved into civic affairs in Chicago, and generally supported progressive causes. Jane Addams was a dear friend. Darwin’s transformation into a naturalist was surely a major step in his development as a scientist. Mead’s work can be understood as an attempt to synthesize Darwin, Hegel, Dewey’s functionalist turn in psychology, and the insights gleaned from James.
Mead taught at the University of Michigan from 1891-1894 under Dewey, and when Dewey was made chair at the University of Chicago in 1894, he requested that Mead be appointed to the position. Mead spent the rest of his career in Chicago, undertaking teaching and research.
