From Adam Swift to Adam Smith: How the ‘Invisible Hand’ Overcomes Middle Class Hypocrisy.

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Title:	From Adam Swift to Adam Smith: How the ‘Invisible Hand’ Overcomes Middle Class Hypocrisy.
Authors:	TOOLEY, JAMES¹
Source:	Journal of Philosophy of Education. Nov2007, Vol. 41 Issue 4, p727-741. 15p.
Subject Terms:	Public schools, Private schools, Education of the middle class, Education of the working class, Assessment of education, Decision making, Choice (Psychology), Social justice, Hypocrisy, Equality
People:	Swift, Adam, 1961-, Pring, Richard
Abstract:	This paper challenges Richard Pring's suggestion that parents using private education may be undermining the desire for social justice and equality, using recent arguments of Adam Swift as a springboard. Swift's position on the banning of private schools, which uses a Rawlsian ‘veil of ignorance’ argument, is explored, and it is suggested that, if equality of opportunity is a major aim, it does not go far enough by permitting parental partiality. If the only alternative is a Platonic state, then this may be acceptable. But a neglected third scenario, drawing on the insights of Adam Smith, shows ‘self-love’ to be a valuable social virtue, leading to a more favourable resolution of the ‘paradox of the shipwreck’ than that explored by Swift. Pointers are given to evidence from developing countries and a more detailed ‘veil of ignorance’ argument to support this case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Journal of Philosophy of Education is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	This paper challenges Richard Pring's suggestion that parents using private education may be undermining the desire for social justice and equality, using recent arguments of Adam Swift as a springboard. Swift's position on the banning of private schools, which uses a Rawlsian ‘veil of ignorance’ argument, is explored, and it is suggested that, if equality of opportunity is a major aim, it does not go far enough by permitting parental partiality. If the only alternative is a Platonic state, then this may be acceptable. But a neglected third scenario, drawing on the insights of Adam Smith, shows ‘self-love’ to be a valuable social virtue, leading to a more favourable resolution of the ‘paradox of the shipwreck’ than that explored by Swift. Pointers are given to evidence from developing countries and a more detailed ‘veil of ignorance’ argument to support this case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	03098249
DOI:	10.1111/j.1467-9752.2007.00599.x