Henry Taylor on education for public life

In the view of many, the problem of preserving a civilized order comes down to one of education. Classical liberals have always emphasized the need for an educated electorate if democracy is to be viable in the long term. More generally, however, a political or opinion-forming élite of some kind is inevitable, regardless of whether the polity is formally democratic or élitist; the real question is the nature of that élite—whether, for example, it is to set about overturning the traditional values of the civilization, or preserving them. And this will depend essentially on how the élite has been educated . . . . CONTINUE