In the humanities Dewey’s “unit” of thought is society, the least element by which everything is measured.  He doesn’t see, and doesn’t want to see, individual men.  Especially he doesn’t want to attribute achievements to individual men.

The contrary, and the reality, is that there are individual men and society is made up of them.  The concept “society” is founded on the concept “man.”  You must form the concept “man” before you can form that of “society.”  “Society” would make no sense otherwise.

What is true, and what Dewey twists into a materialistic horror, is that you can learn from other people, deal or collaborate with other independent individuals.  But it doesn’t follow that you are unable to create or discover things yourself.

You think by yourself, you look at nature by yourself.  Others do not have your mind or your eyes or your hands.

The motive behind what Dewey is doing is to deny credit to those who create.  Nobody creates anything, society did it all.