An unwarranted fear of religious schooling

Abstract

In this article, we challenge the common liberal assumption that religious schooling undermines the goals of liberal civic education, making it impossible for children to acquire tolerance, critical reasoning skills, or personal autonomy. As a framework for this argument, we respond to some of the claims made by Harry Brighouse in his recent book, School Choice and Social Justice, arguing that the liberal fear of religious schooling, as reiterated by Brighouse, is largely unwarranted. Rather, religious parents and religious schooling can offer children an education that promotes tolerance and critical reflection and that encourages and supports their future autonomy.