AN UNWARRANTED FEAR OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLING

In this article, we challenge the common liberal assumption that religious schooling undermines the goals of liberal civic education, making it impossible for children to acquire tolerance, critical reasoning skills, or personal autonomy. As a framework for this argument, we respond to some of the claims made by Harry Brighouse in his recent book, School Choice and Social Justice , arguing that the liberal fear of religious schooling, as reiterated by Brighouse, is largely unwarranted. Rather, religious parents and religious schooling can offer children an education that promotes tolerance and critical reflection and that encourages and supports their future autonomy. Key words: school choice, civic education, social justice, liberalism Dans cet article, les auteurs contestent l’hypothese liberale courante voulant que les ecoles confessionnelles nuisent aux buts de l’education civique liberale en empechant les enfants de devenir tolerants, capables de raisonnement critique ou d’autonomie. Dans le cadre de leur argumentation, les auteurs repondent a certaines des affirmations de Harry Brighouse qui, dans un recent ouvrage intitule School Choice and Social Justice , avance que la peur liberale de l’enseignement religieux est largement injustifiee. Au contraire, les parents qui ont des convictions religieuses et les ecoles confessionnelles offrent aux enfants une education qui prone la tolerance et la reflexion critique et qui encourage et favorise leur autonomie future. Mots cles : choix d’ecole, education civique, justice sociale, liberalisme