William Godwin and Education
I’m reading A Primer of Libertarian Education by Joel Spring. In the first chapter he introduces William Godwin (as well as Francisco Ferrer and Ivan Illich), the first so called “philisophical anarchist”. Godwin was a heavy critic of the national education system that was developing around the late eighteenth century, which was uncommon even among revolutionaries like himself. Most reformists and revolutionaries felt that national education, despite it’s control by the State, would help to eliminate privilage and inequality between classes. Godwin argued that the program would only serve to cement those inequalities. Godwin further argued that the national education programs developing at the time would also serve to promote an obediant, submissive citizenry and mass of workers for the State and private industry.
Godwin was an Englightenment philosopher and believed that reason was the source of human progress, he believed that a national program of education, administered by the State, would therefore stifle the people’s ability to reason and create a citizenry that would be taught to look toward the politicians and the State for truth, instead of looking toward individual reason. The State, Godwin argued, gains it’s legitimacy from the opinion of the people, therefore, public opinion administered through a State-run national education program would ensure continued legitimacy. Godwin warned,
Had the scheme of a national education been adopted when despotism was most triumphant, it is not to be believed that it could have forever stifled the voice of truth. But it would have been the most formidable and profound contrivance for that purpose, that imagination can suggest.
Godwin felt that education should serve the interests of all people by promoting reason, and teaching students how to reason. Through the development of individual reason education would be promoting human progress, Godwin argued.
It is not true that our youth ought to be instructed to venerate the constitution, however excellent; they should be led to venerate truth; and the constitution only so far as it corresponds with their uninfluenced deductions of truth.
I’d really recommend checking out Godwin’s critique to anybody interested in a libertarian education, as well as checking out this book (It’s at the P-K). Of course, I’ve only read the first chapter, so I don’t know if it starts off really great then dives into irrelevence in the end, but that’s why I’m forwarding you to the library!
Also, I stumbled across this in my searches today, thoughts?
Original post by Aaron and reposted by Radical Blogs
