Public Education

[philopker]

Quick question: Do you guys feel that education or access to education is a right that everyone has or that education, particularly required primary education, is a form of investment (in human capital) that we as a community provide and should provide through taxation in order to create more productivity (a bigger economic pie) in the future?
I know these questions don't sound philosophical, but there are certain ethical implications in either position that I'm trying to work out. Just looking for opinions.

[PLOlover]

It is under communism. See the communist manifesto or the planks of the communist manifesto for details.

[WillMagic]

[ QUOTE ]
Quick question: Do you guys feel that education or access to education is a right that everyone has or that education, particularly required primary education, is a form of investment (in human capital) that we as a community provide and should provide through taxation in order to create more productivity (a bigger economic pie) in the future?
I know these questions don't sound philosophical, but there are certain ethical implications in either position that I'm trying to work out. Just looking for opinions.

[/ QUOTE ]

The latter.

Will

[drudman]

I don't believe that either are true. It certainly isn't a "right", there are no such thing as "natural rights of men". The poor quality of public education also doesn't seem to make sense if you consider it a public investment. Unless, of course, the investors have no idea what they are doing.

[contentless]

[ QUOTE ]
The poor quality of public education

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends where you live. There are certainly public school systems that outperform private schools. While some public schools are a waste of money, that isn't to say that all of them are.

[philopker]

Well, what I mean to question is how ought public education be regarded, not what its present or possible future state is. If public education is not a good investment, as some would contend, then according to the idea that it is a type of investment, then it should be re-structured to reflect better returns. This scheme may lead to policies like No Child Left Behind, or to other forms of investment restructuring. However, if (access to) education is a right, then such (utilitarian) considerations might meet with objections. This is of course assuming that there are such things as rights and that persons have them, an idea which I regard as morally uncontroversial. Metaphysically...well that's a different story.
Thank you for all your guy's help.