Contemporary experience and history demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that virtually all parents in a free society will take full responsibility for the education of their children (in varying degrees, of course) in the same way that they care for the physical health of their children. Contrast that with a society that does not respect and protect individual rights in the name of a universal “right” to an education. The result is a society that is both immoral and unjust and that also fails to educate most children on a daily basis. We should not be surprised that a moral and just system leads to good results while an immoral and unjust system leads to bad results.
The conclusion before us is now obvious. A free, moral, and just society is one in which all individuals shall have the right and shall assume the responsibility for educating their own children.
– C Bradley Thompson, on his Redneck Intellectual column, via Substack. The article I link to can be read here. Thompson is the author of America’s Revolutionary Mind, which is an excellent study, and a reminder of what a remarkable thing the Revolution in that country was, and of the intellectual and cultural antecedents of said. He also appeared on this interesting podcast about education issues.
But-but-but! Some parents may raise their kids as Capitalists! Or Enterpreneurs! How are they going to learn to play nice with their neighbours if they never meet them? And, in America, how will they learn to love the Constitution and worship the President unless they are trained to at public schools? America would fall apart, unless they had statesmen to worship!
“In a Free Society”.
One of the great horrors of the last 60 years has been the collapse of society – not “just” voluntary associations (both religious and secular), but the family itself.
This does not mean that the state should take over the bringing up of children – the collective is no good at bringing up children, it does NOT “take a village” Hillary Clinton (who did her dissertation on Saul Alinsky – the arch enemy of “reactionary” society). Indeed it is the Progressive State, Progressive policies, that have created the collapse of the family – and of Civil Society generally.
The lack of real resistance has been astonishing – even the Roman Catholic Church, which one might expect to be the arch defenders of “reactionary” Civil Society, was under the command of a man (Paul VI) who was an admirer of Saul Alinsky. The failure of such men as Jacques Maritain (the philosopher and theologian who so influenced Paul VI) and Paul VI to see Saul Alinsky, and so many others, for what they were – is just utterly astonishing, and things are certainly no better under Pope Francis.
This is one institution – but it was EVERY institution, religious and secular. All the institutions since at least the 1960s essentially collapsed – as if the people in the institutions could no longer think and act with any real understanding.
Contrary to F.A. Hayek (and his master David Hume centuries before) – if people do not understand the principles (foundational principles) of cultural institutions, then the culture (the society) will collapse when it comes under undermining attack.
Teaching the principles that are the foundation of the cultural institutions is vital – and it is precisely this that was neglected. “This is what we do round here” or “this is what we have always done” are not good arguments – they are not arguments at all, and they are easy to undermine.
To claim that ordinary human reason can not grasp the arguments and principles of liberty (of civil society) is nonsense – and it is highly dangerous (toxic) nonsense.
As for Progressive State education (or the expensive “Woke” private schools for that matter) – the mess that is being produced in Chicago and other cities in the Western world (including in the United Kingdom) is obvious, horribly obvious.
And there never was any justification for the system – for example in Massachusetts (the first State to accept the modern state system in 1852 and the State that supposedly has the best system) there is no evidence that the system has really reduced the level of illiteracy.
This was know from the start – Horace Mann (the “Father of American Public Education”) was not really interested in improving reading, writing and mathematical skills – he wanted to push certain attitudes and beliefs. Yes his motives were bad – from the start.
Nicholas – if Americans loved the Constitution they would not worship the President.
It is no accident that children in American schools swear allegiance to the FLAG – NOT to the Constitution. And the oath was written by the socialist (National Socialist – saluting hands and all, they got there before Adolf Hitler was even born) Bellamy cousins – Francis and Edward.
The point of the Constitution is to limit government power – so that people can be entrepreneurs, and so on.
What makes you think that American Public Schools would want to teach the American Constitution – that is what they hate.
My experience over many decades in various cities is that this sentence can be completed with the words “which means, for some, not at all.”
And so, for equity’s sake, the State will take over both, for all.