But the beliefs created or adopted by people and held dear need to be evaluated on the basis of their whence and their whither . This examination leads to a reconstruction of beliefs. Philosophy, then, means continual revision of imaginative vision. In sum, what Dewey calls for is a truly democratic philosophy, imbued with the democratic spirit and guided by democratic ideals. Furthermore, philosophy must turn from hierarchical and dogmatic approaches.
Philosophy means, above all else, freedom of thought and free play of ideas.
This free play, this thinking for the sake of thinking, is necessary for life. It opens the mind, stretches the horizon of possibilities, and creates new meanings. It makes possible the projection of new ends and ideals. Dewey criticizes a preoccupation with facts, divorced from ideas. It is the interaction of imaginative thought and honest handling of facts which counts.