Intuitively, we know that schooling and education are different. We can endure schooling while learning little; we can learn much beyond school, for instance, through work or play. Though intuitive, this difference is largely unexplored philosophically. In this talk, I argue that our philosophical neglect of the distinction between education and schooling obscures an important aspect of justice for children: children’s entitlements to justice in schooling independent of their entitlements to justice in education. I sketch a new account of ‘schooling justice.’ I demonstrate that this new conception of ’schooling justice’ is important both philosophically and socially. I consider some cases concerning race and religion in education and schooling to demonstrate how my conception of justice in schooling illuminates some important ethical dilemmas.
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Speaker
Dr Philip Cook is Senior Lecturer in political philosophy in the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. Philip’s work focuses on the moral and political status of children. His current research focuses on justice in schools and education. Previous work has addressed the ethics of parenting, the moral aspects of child labour, and justifications for child enfranchisement. Philip was a founding Co-Director of CRITIQUE: Centre for Ethics and Critical Thought, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Res Publica.