2 PHILOSOPHICAL ERRORS CONCERNING SCHOOL CHOICE

In his contribution to a recent symposium on school choice David Hargr eaves makes two philosophical mistakes concerning the design of educat ional policy. The first is that libertarianism-the presumption that ch oice and diversity are desirable in social institutions-implies the pr esumption that choice is desirable in the design of educational instit utions. I argue that libertarianism actually implies a. mild presumpti on against choice in education. The second is that the common good is a significant factor to be weighed when thinking about how to design e ducational institutions. I argue that because educational institutions must mediate quite strict obligations that all adults have to each in dividual child as a matter of justice, the common good must be at most a secondary consideration, of significance only when deciding between sets of institutions which do equally well at delivering our obligati ons.