Hook, Sidney (1902-1989)

US philosopher. He is noted for his interpretations of John Dewey and Karl Marx. He held that our ideas are not true or false propositions but guides to action and experiment, and that Marx held that knowledge was primarily an activity, too. Accordingly, he saw philosophy as an empirical discipline, similar to the social sciences. He attacked Martin Heidegger's notion of being.

Born in New York, he taught at New York University 1927-69. His works include From Hegel to Marx 1936 and The Quest for Being 1961.