A Politically Liberal Conception of Formal Education in a Developing Democracy


ÇELİK R.

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY, vol.48, no.5, pp.498-508, 2016 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 48 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/00131857.2015.1041011
  • Journal Name: EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.498-508
  • Keywords: John Rawls, political liberalism, politically liberal education, developing democracy, CIVIC EDUCATION
  • Ankara University Affiliated: No

Abstract

As discussed by John Rawls, in a well-ordered society, a public political culture's wide educational role bears the primary responsibility for developing reasonable individuals for the stability of a politically liberal society. Rawlsian scholars have also focused on the stability and enhancement of developed liberal democratic societies by means of those societies' education systems. In this sense, one thing that is common to Rawlsian scholars' and Rawls's own understanding of the role of education appears to be a concern over the stability of a politically liberal society since it is highly dependent on the character of its citizens. Also, it is usually believed that a politically liberal account of education can be implemented in a developed politically liberal society. In contrast, this study discusses the possibility of implementing a politically liberal account of education in a developing liberal society that may become a developed liberal democracy under an overlapping consensus.