Amy Gutmann Term Paper

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Gutmann Democracy and Education

Amy Gutmann's book, Democracy in Education, is a thoughtful analysis of the philosophical foundations of education in a democratic state. She investigates the issue of who should share responsibility for the education of democratic citizens. In her investigation, Gutmann tackles a number of complex issues including academic freedom, book burning, teacher's unions, and public support for private schools in the context of this debate. Overall, her analysis of the issue is both thorough and enlightening. Ultimately, Gutmann comes to the almost inevitable conclusion that the responsibility for education of democratic citizens is the citizens of a democratic state, acting on their own behalf either privately, or through their democratically elected representatives.

In this slim 316-page work, Gutmann tackles the enormous challenge of assessing the philosophical foundations of the state of public education in a democratic nation. Her analysis is a valuable look at what groups should be endowed with the authority to shape public education in a democratic state. Gutmann sees the role of education in a democracy as both an educational and a political issue. Further, she argues that "education not only sets the stage for democratic politics, it plays a central role in it" (p 3). Thus, this dual role creates one of the most important moral questions in politics: who "should share the authority to influence the way democratic citizens are educated?" (p 3).

Gutmann's task is not easy. It calls to mind the democratic principles of the founding fathers, and creates an image of the democratic nation that de Tocqueville envisioned.

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Thus, the success of her arguments is all the more satisfying. Her book is a well-documented, intelligent discussion in the finest academic and democratic tradition.

Her final theory is clear, concise, and well thought out.

Gutmann is clearly qualified to write such a book. She is a founding director of the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University and a Laurence S. Rockefeller University Professor. Her other works include Democracy and Disagreement, Ethics and Politics, and Freedom of Association.

The range of topics that Gutmann tackles in her look into the philosophical foundation of public education is certainly impressive and exhaustive. Gutmann looks at the case against book banning from a democratic perspective, and provides a thorough analysis of academic freedom in the same context. In addition, Gutmann looks at how teacher's unions impact education in democracy. The concept of public support for private schools also catches Gutmann's eye. Affirmative action in college admissions is another of Gutmann's topics, as is the concept of antidiscrimination law.

Gutmann's book is a much more philosophical look at education than the often cited Democracy and Education by John Dewey. In Democracy and Education, Dewey argues strongly for the complete overhaul of public education,….....

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