In 1889 Jane Addams opened Hull House, a settlement house in a poor immigrant neighborhood of Chicago, where she lived and worked for the rest of her life. From that experience she wrote about democracy, ethics and peace, and influenced her friend John Dewey. A committed pacifist, she opposed the First World War and in 1931 became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Core ideas
Ethics is proved in action, by living among and alongside other people
A democracy is only real when it reaches the poorest neighborhoods
Peace is built through daily cooperation, not just by stopping wars
The tradition: Social pragmatist
Social pragmatism applies the pragmatist method to community life: ideas are tested in the neighborhood, not only in the classroom. Addams is its pioneer and its living example.
