Nanjing University a center of Confucian thought and humanistic scholarship. During this period, Nanjing University was known as the foremost "Oriental Education Centre" and recognized as an academic and cultural exchange centre for east and west. Many scholars visited and instructed there, including the American educationist Paul Monroe, W. H. Kilpatrick, E. L. Thorndike, philosopher John Dewey, British philosopher Bertrand Russell, German philosopher Hans Driesch and the Indian (also Bengali) poet Rabindranath Tagore. The university became the capital national university after Nanking was made the capital by Nationalist Government, initially renamed National Dyisyi Chungshan University (or called National Nanking Chungshan University) in
John Dewey C. Rockefeller traced Dewey's democratic convictions to his childhood attendance at the Congregational Church, with its strong proclamation of social ideals and the Social Gospel. Historian Edward A. White suggested in "Science and Religion in American Thought" (1952) that Dewey's work led to the 20th century rift between religion and science. Besides publishing prolifically himself, Dewey also sat on the boards of scientific publications such as "Sociometry" (advisory board, 1942) and "Journal of Social Psychology" (editorial board, 1942), as well as having posts at other publications such as "New Leader" (contributing editor, 1949). The following publications by John Dewey are