Hostname: page-component-788cddb947-r7bls Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-10-08T04:42:30.739Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Right to Reasonable Exit and a Religious Education for Moderate Autonomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2006

Abstract

Political and comprehensive liberals are both pessimistic about finding a satisfactory way to resolve the debate over whether and how to expose students in public schools to religion. An examination of John Tomasi's Liberalism beyond Justice and William Galston's Liberal Pluralism reveals that a central cause of this pessimism is the presumption that an education for autonomy must encourage students to become rational choosers of their beliefs. This essay suggests that it is possible to found an education for autonomy on the more modest goal of ensuring that students have a reasonable ability to exit from their communities when they feel that membership is too painful. An education for exit would involve exposing students at the high school level to alternative religious beliefs to ensure they are aware that it might be possible to lead tolerable lives and achieve salvation outside of their communities of origin.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2006 University of Notre Dame

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)