What do we mean by the liberation of learning?

The same applies to other areas of choice as well as religion, politics, music and fashion. This highlights an important feature of the libertarian approach. It promotes mutual respect and tolerance among all ways of life and thought, and this necessarily includes traditions which themselves advocate just the opposite. Many religions, for example, regard themselves as the sole possessors of the truth, and are therefore overtly hostile towards other points of views. There is an inherent problem in adopting an attitude of tolerance towards intolerance, but accepting that problem is part of what it is to be a libertarian; our commitment to freedom requires that we be prepared to see people make choices that we disagree with. In the extreme case, the education provided will result in people freely choosing ways of life and thought that deny freedom of choice and deny freedom in education.

The effective exercise of freedom does not come easily. It is an ability that is acquired only through experience and learning, and calls for qualities that are for most people quite difficult to attain, such as honesty, self discipline, courage, determination and responsibility. Enabling people to develop these qualifies is one of the prime objectives of libertarian education. It also demands the same qualities on the part of educator. One of these qualities is worth focusing on in particular, because it forms a bridge between the individual oriented matters discussed so far and the socially oriented questions that follow: responsibility.

There is a traditional distinction made between freedom and licence, Licence is doing whatever you feel like, in an unprincipled way, and without much regard for the consequences. Freedom, on the other hand, involves the exercise of choice within a framework of principle and with a commitment to face the consequences of one's choices. Whereas licence is a sign of social immaturity, it is the distinctive task of libertarian education to foster the development of freedom, which is characteristic of mature individuals in society.

 

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