Educating Citizens: 3 critical aspects

When it comes to learning – be it in schools, universities, or adult education – much attention, quite rightly, is given to the development of  basic skills (linguistic and mathematical); general knowledge; skills to get an income; health and environmental awareness; cultural appreciation (music, literature); and social competence (discipline, tolerance, volunteering).  

But what about the inculcation of civic capability, which we all need in order to function as effective members of a self-governing society.  Unquestioning subjects who submit to arbitrary rule may get by without it, but citizens cannot play their part in sustaining their own governance in the absence of such capability.  There are three critical aspects of this capability that should be looked at more closely.  

 

First, it is vital for us to develop our sense of Civic Identity.  We all have multiple identity markers associated with culture, gender, belief, economic status, ethnicity, language, locality, family, work, etc.  But none of these should be accepted as a status-defining trait in a society of citizens where diverse members are all accorded equal respect.  Furthermore, the foundational commitment to equal citizenship means that the readiness to stand by others and the expectation that others would stand by one, must not be pushed aside through the invocation of any other affiliation or attachment. Citizens should therefore learn not only that they have a political bond that binds them through the rights and responsibilities they share in upholding their collective self-governance, but also that any attempt to undermine this bond by privileging some ‘higher’ value should be guarded against.

 

Secondly, we need to have the ability to make Objective Judgement.  For citizens to advance their common wellbeing through public policies and practices, their participation in activities that guide how the state will act on their behalf needs to be carried out with an accurate understanding of the relevant facts, proposals, and arguments. This goes beyond basic reasoning skills, and covers competencies for dealing with rhetorical misdirection, seeing through prejudices and fallacies, as well as seeking out reliable sources of information, assessing evidence and the veracity of testimony, and weighing up rival interpretations.  Citizens need to be trained from an early age so that they can differentiate unsubstantiated claims from reliable assertions.  It is also important to be able to recognise when a belief or decision should be revised in the light of new findings, especially through critical exploration with others.

 

Thirdly, it is essential to comprehend the importance of Accountable Governance and what it entails in practice.  No society can operate without a large number of collectively binding decisions being made by people who hold public offices through elections, delegation, or appointment.  If the people in these positions are to act consistently in the interest of the public they serve, then members of the public must be able to ensure that they can be held to account for their actions.  This involves grasping how state actions work, how people may attain positions with state power, and who has what responsibility for the impact on society.  Ignorance of accountable governance can lead to dangerous apathy at one extreme, and susceptibility to manipulation by demagogues at the other. Citizens need to learn when they should trust or challenge those in public office, what accountability arrangements are necessary, and how they should act to secure due accountability.

 

All three aspects of civic capability outlined above barely feature in contemporary education.  The neoliberal-minded may think that it does not matter too much so long as people acquire the skills to get a job.  Some cynics may even welcome the fact that many citizens can be easily divided, deceived, and deprived of political efficacy.  But if citizens are the ones to govern themselves without manipulation or domination by a ruling clique, then education has to step up and help people develop their civic capability.

Freedom to Harm Others?

No society can hold together if people were to have unlimited freedom to harm others.  Without fair rules, objective adjudication, and impartial enforcement to counter injurious behaviour, there would be no peace or order, let alone solidarity or cooperation.

 

Yet some people are set on pursuing their own desires and interests at the expense of others’ wellbeing.  They want to be able to do whatever that suits them regardless of the damaging consequences for other people.  And they dress up their callous arrogance as their right to freedom – as though it is unquestionable that they should be free to act as they please, and any attempt to restrain them from hurting others is an outrageous violation of their liberty.

 

Although the abuse of freedom – e.g., to deceive customers in the sale of goods, to steal or rob, to inflict pain on others, to overthrow democratic governments – is readily seen to be unacceptable, all too often the mere invocation of ‘freedom’ (even by the most shameless charlatans) is enough to keep legitimate intervention at bay.  This sleight of hand must be exposed.  Its harmful effects are already spreading way too far.

 

The freedom to push discredited claims about MMR vaccines was allowed for so long that it was almost forgotten that we should stop false information from endangering lives.  Now anti-vax promoters are turning their attention to the Covid-19 vaccines, and unless effective means are deployed to halt not simply campaigns of mass deception, but the reckless behaviour of infecting others with a life-threatening virus, we will all suffer.

 

The freedom to intimidate others directly or by inciting followers to threaten particular groups has also been protected as a result of the misguided belief that the freedom to express a ‘view’ is sacrosanct.  Now we see Trump and associates taking it so far as to encourage their supporters to threaten the lives of public officials involved in safeguarding the electoral process, and overturn the results of a democratic election.

 

There is also the freedom of a sovereign country to do as it pleases – something the UK’s Brexit-obsessed government invokes to break international law and reject independent arbitration over disputes regarding any agreement it has entered into with other countries.  In essence, Boris Johnson wants to be free to renege on any commitment he has signed up to regardless of the harm it may cause others.  By the same token, countries around the world seeking to act aggressively and exploitatively towards others can also invoke their sovereign freedom to do so – proving all the more that there is a need to have global structures to secure and enforce arrangements for peace, trade and security.

 

There is no moral or political reason to confer on anyone the absolute freedom to act without due consideration for others.  Only flawed thinking has led some well-intentioned people to side with non-intervention when intervention is palpably needed to stop the thoughtless and unscrupulous from ruining the lives of others.

 

It is vital to remember – freedom without limits is just a licence to harm.