John Dewey and the Aim of Life (An Anecdote)

• A budding philosopher asked John Dewey, shortly before his ninetieth birthday:

"What is the aim of life?" Dewey answered calmly:

— "Climbing mountains."

— "And what is the use of that?" his companion asked at once. Dewey answered with a smile: "You see other mountains to climb; then you come down to do it all over again." Then he added gently: "And when you can no longer climb, or see the peaks, life is over."