Resumen de The Sovereign as Educator: Thomas Hobbes's National Curriculum
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), the greatest English political philosopher, famously argued that the solution to civil disorders lay in a sovereign authority backed with force. But force was insufficient unless people were also educated to obedience. The key was the re-education of teachers, including ministers of religion and lawyers, who would then instruct the masses. Hobbes attributed disorder, particularly in the English Civil War, to the doctrines taught in the universities which had encouraged students to question authority. He proposed to purge the universities and require lecturers to act as public servants teaching the true science of morals and politics which demonstrated the need for obedience. Hobbes claimed to have discovered this science and recommended it be taught in the universities. The article argues that education should be seen as at the centre of Hobbes's project.
