對臺灣民主發展之憂心，以及有關文獻探討之結果，二層緣由讓作者起意撰作本文。以杜威（John Dewey, 1859-1952）原著及有關研究文獻為據，本文首先指出，杜威一本其「哲學家應關注人生問題並投入社會改革」之初衷，自早期於1888年〈民主倫理學〉首倡以生活方式、民主精神與文化為著眼之基進（radical）民主論，於包括1916年《民主與教育》在內之中期著作，確認其以更加徹底之民主制度矯正民主制度弊病之思想，再於包括1927年《公眾及其問題》、1930年《新舊個人主義》、1935年《自由主義與社會行動》，以及1939年《自由與文化》等在內之晚期著作，深化其以社會與政治哲學為內涵之基進民主思想。接著，本文藉由杜威針對民主時局所發出之警示，其有關教育之理念，以及其思想之後續發展，進一步釋明其基進民主思想之要義。於結束前，本文呼籲大家再閱文首杜威警語，並就：臺灣民主是否因為紮根未深，馴至徒有選舉制度與議會政治形式，卻陷入分立零亂、敵對抗爭之事件益形頻繁，群眾瓦解裂變、人心分崩離析情況日漸增多，全民福祉、社會公義、經濟發展更受漠視之窘境，進行反思。「有則改之，無則嘉勉」雖為老生常談，卻適切依然。

Concerns for Taiwan’s democratic development and the results of a literature review motivated the author to write this paper. Based on John Dewey’s work and related research literature, the first part of the paper showed that, his belief that philosophers should give attention to problems of men and commit themselves to social reform urged him to publish a paper, “Ethics of Democracy” in 1888, aiming at describing democracy as a way of life, and democratic ethos and culture as the emphases. The theory was reconfirmed by the thoughts that the evils of democracy should be cured by more thoroughgoing democracy in Dewey’s middle works including Democracy and Education published in 1916. It was deepened by the social and political philosophy based thoughts delineated in his later works including Public and Its Problems, 1927, Individualism, Old and New, 1930, Liberalism and Social Action, 1935, and Freedom and Culture, 1939. Then, this paper explicated further the essence of Dewey’s theory of radical democracy by explaining his warnings about current situations, his related ideas about education and of its development after his death. In concluding the paper, the author invited readers to reflect on the democratic development in Taiwan by reconsidering Dewey’s concerns raised in the introductory part of this paper: Are the social subdivisions, events of opposition, tendencies towards disintegration, and resolution into infinitesimal fragments so increased that people’s well-being, social justice, economic development were ignored? Although “correct the mistakes, if any, and keep the good record if none has been committed” is a mere commonplace, it is still relevant for today.