Adulthood and the Right to Education

This chapter argues that holding personal autonomy as a political ideal entails a right to education over a full life, not just childhood. The first section reviews the terms under which autonomy is commonly held to be basic to liberal citizenship and how this justifies an individual right to a basic compulsory education in childhood. The second section argues that the tendency to see this right as applying to childhood only is due to an unduly narrow view of autonomy as a political ideal. Finally, it defends an expanded view of autonomy that justifies a role for education in a good life in media res. This role is held to be sufficiently important enough to warrant extending citizens’ educational rights to include post-compulsory provision.