Abstract

In discussing a variety of issues in the philosophy of education, Professor Crittenden focuses his attention on liberal education, i.e., the process of education which is principally concerned with promoting understanding and appreciation of the main forms of knowledge and with developing various skills of inquiry, expression, and performance. He believes that the defense of liberal education as a necessary feature of democracy is unsatisfactory; although citizens must have some knowledge and intellectual competence to make the choices expected of them, these might not be needed to any significant degree. Liberal education can be defended only on the ground that it is crucial to the welfare of each individual: since liberal education develops those capacities needed to live a fully human life, Crittenden believes it proper to maintain that all men have a moral right to receive it. Though this right cannot, for a variety of reasons, be fully implemented; it is an ideal at which authorities should aim.