2012 Ruth Zemke Lecture in Occupational Science: The Art and Science of Occupation: Nature, Inquiry, and the Aesthetics of Living

This paper sketches a logic for occupation to create a more overt and cohesive basis for the related science. To do so, it recovers John Dewey\u27s conceptualization of occupation from 1899, and it then expands that conceptualization through an analysis of three core dimensions of his later philosophy: empirical naturalism, instrumentalism, and aesthetic theory. The analysis suggests that Dewey\u27s original view of occupation intended to incorporate his view of nature, inquiry, and aesthetics. The synthesis of Dewey\u27s concept of occupation and his broader theoretical vision means (a) occupation is a form of natural and social experience, (b) occupation is a primary means of fostering and structuring processes of inquiry that allows people to practice and hone habits and skills related to later inquiries, and (c) occupation is a good way of having aesthetic experiences and thereby a way of learning to live more meaningfully in the future. Implications of the analysis are discussed, including what the Deweyan logic of occupation means for occupational science and its relationship to occupational therapy. --------------------------------------- This lecture has been published in the Journal of Occupational Science and is posted here with permission: Cutchin, M. (2013). The art and science of occupation: Nature, inquiry, and the aesthetics of living. Journal of Occupational Science, 20(4), 286-297. DOI: 10.1080/14427591.2012.74429