•  114
    Education as a Social Right in a Diverse Society
    Journal of Philosophy of Education 43 (1): 45-56. 2009.
    The aim of this article is to outline the basis for a comprehensive account of educational rights. It begins by acknowledging the difficulties posed by diversity, and defends a conception of universal human rights that limits parental educational discretion. Against the backdrop of the literature of public reason and fair equality of opportunity, it sketches arguments for the existence of rights to education of some specific kinds. Those rights, and associated educational purposes, are systemati…Read more
  •  46
    A Causal Theory of Negligence
    Social Philosophy Today 7 111-124. 1992.
    The aim of this paper is to outline a novel rationale for the negligence standard of liability in tort law. On this view, the negligence standard has a causal character which is seldom recognized, but which was recognized by Aristotle, who first formulated the standard. The proposed rationale is extracted from its Aristotelian roots and presented as an alternative to the two others which have been discussed in recent years, both of which are widely regarded as flawed.
  •  44
    Judgment and the aims of education
    Social Philosophy and Policy 31 (1): 36-59. 2014.
    The aim of this paper is to revive a tradition of educational thought that identifies good judgment as the highest aim of education. It identifies sharply opposed manifestations of this tradition in the works of Aristotle and Locke, and uses these as points of departure in defending and exploring the tradition. The defense rests on the claims that the basic aim of educational institutions should be to enable people to live well and that good judgment is essential to living well. The relations…Read more
  •  72
    Book Symposium: Harry Brighouse, School Choice and Social Justice
    with Eamonn Callan, Walter Feinberg, and Harry Brighouse
    Studies in Philosophy and Education 20 (5): 387-421. 2001.
  • The Prima Facie Case against Homeschooling
    with J. Blokhuis
    Public Affairs Quarterly 25 (1): 1-20. 2011.
    Until recently, it was widely assumed in societies with long-established, publicly funded school systems that school attendance served the interests of children, society, and parents alike. In the United States and other common-law jurisdictions, safeguarding and promoting the independent welfare and developmental interests of every child was a public responsibility under the parens patriae doctrine. Compulsory schooling laws enacted under parens patriae authority required all persons having car…Read more
  •  36
    On the Importance of Getting it Right: A Response to Professor Götz
    Studies in Philosophy and Education 22 (1): 83-94. 2003.
  •  43
    A Companion to the Philosophy of Education (edited book)
    Wiley-Blackwell. 2003.
    _A Companion to the Philosophy of Education_ is a comprehensive guide to philosophical thinking about education. Offers a state-of-the-art account of current and controversial issues in education, including issues pertaining to multiculturalism, special education, sex education, and academic freedom. Written by an international team of leading experts, who are directly engaged with these profound and complex educational problems. Serves as an indispensable guide to the field of philosophy of edu…Read more