Education is one of our most relevant political and social concerns. If it is true that we want democratic, open-minded, egalitarian and non-discriminatory citizens in our democracy of tomorrow, it is also true that, as parents, we want our children to know how to lead meaningful lives, to find their way in the world, not simply by satisfying their momentary preferences.
My reflections on the theory of education will centre on two related but different concepts: ‘happiness’ and ‘flourishing’. Two educational models can be derived from them. While the first model has the merit of relying on psychological data, public opinion, and objective surveys, it remains quite shallow with respect to what is more deeply rooted within human beings. Drawing on the well-known Aristotelian account, the second model rests on a view of flourishing grounded in what is morally and psychologically deeper in the human being, whatever psychological measurement reveals.
The public implications of these approaches will be examined in the second part of the chapter where influential liberal approaches such as Amy Gutmann’s and Martha Nussbaum’s will be confronted with Alan Bloom’s criticisms in order to develop a theory of education based on our ‘qualified conservatism’. The chapter ultimately defends a conservative model of education that preserves continuity between ethics and politics.