The Social & Political Philosophy of Education

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Is the purpose of education to allow individuals to better themselves by pursuing personal tastes and interests, or should education be primarily aimed at creating good citizens or good members of a group? Is there a way of reconciling these two aims? Assuming that adult relations with children are inherently paternalistic, is it possible for children to be educated for future autonomy to pursue major life goals free from such paternalistic control; and if so, how? How much, if any control over education can be allocated to the state, even when this conflicts with the educational goals parents have for their children? Such questions are especially relevant in multicultural or pluralistic societies in which some groups within a liberal state are non-liberal. Should a liberal democratic state intervene in education to ensure the development of children's personal autonomy, or must toleration of non-liberal groups prevail even at the expense of children's autonomy?