Aristotle on the Necessity of Public Education

Randall R. Curren

The book concludes that Aristotle's views yield a compelling argument for the claim that public supervision of education is a necessary condition for a just society. It examines the implications and limitations of that argument, including particularly the form and substance of the educational equality which it demands. Contrasting it with other recent arguments for educational equality, I conclude that it provides the most decisive argument for educational equality available, but also that it does not establish a legitimate basis for a state monopoly on the provision of schooling, and for ensuring its availability to everyone. Some privatization schemes, but not others, would be compatible with this result.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations and Notes on Translations
• Introduction
• 1 - Greek Paideia and Socratic Principles
• 2 - The Arguments of Plato
• 3 - Groundwork for an Interpretation of Politics VIII.1
• 4 - Why Education Is Important
• 5 - Why Education Should Be Public and the Same for All
• 6 - Education and the Foundations of Justice
• 7 - Justice and the Substance of Common Care
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author