Abstract: As a frequently used term in Deweys philosophy， inquiry was taken by Dewey to explore science and technology. By using it as his starting point， Dewey provided a new perspective for scientific and technological cognition. The whole theory of Deweys thoughts on science and technology developed around the clues of his theory of inquiry， including the generation of inquiry， the process of inquiry and the product of inquiry， which respectively correspond to the emergence of scientific and technological activities， the process of scientific and technological activities， and the formation of artifacts in a modern sense. Human beings understanding and changing the nature as well as the societys scientific and technological activities are the process of the mankind’s continuous inquiry， and Dewey’s famous “five-step thinking” serves well to expound the operation mechanisms of inquiry acts， which is of great significance in both methodology and epistemology. If applied to modern educational practices， this approach may dramatically strengthen the effectiveness of teaching.

Key words: John Dewey, inquiry theory, science and technology