This thesis is an inquiry into whether the compulsory education of children is justifiable, and it considers arguments relating to education for both the good of the individual and the good of others. I begin with a discussion of paternalism and proceed from an examination of previous attempts at formulating an acceptable understanding of it to the construction of a view which I believe overcomes the shortcomings existing accounts are seen to possess. Following this, theories purporting to justify paternalism are inspected and a start is made on the task of identifying versions of pa te rnalist action and the justifications they require. In an effort to delve closer into just what individual well-being might comprise, this task is interrupted by an investigation into the post-reflective desire-satisfaction theories of John Rawls and J. P. White, and the view of an individual's good each defends. This line of thought in turn develops into a discussion of education for the good of those other than the individual and a resolution is suggested for the problem of weighing the individual's against others' good. This part of the debate borrows from and adapts Peter Singer's argument concerning an obligation to assist those in absolute poverty. It is useful because people living in poverty make demands upon our time, energy, and resources which must be ranked against any alternative preferred use of them in other outlets, including some education. A revised argument is presented and defended and linked to the earlier debate on paternalism to furnish simultaneously an overriding condition to be met by all justifiable paternalist activity, together with a means thought to be defensible of locating some compulsory education in efforts to combat absolute poverty throughout the world.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:630744 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Creators | Royce, Richard James |
| Publisher | University College London (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10019726/ |
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