it does seem rather unfair that the state can declare that your values are wrong and demand that your children hold different values.
Can/should a school teach that different racial groups are morally the same? What about that slavery is wrong? What about “be kind to each other and share your toys”? Is the difference purely that more people disagree with one claim as opposed to the others?
Can/should a school teach that Kim Jong-un is the greatest human being who ever lived and that only his incessant efforts keep the people safe and prosperous? What about “it is the highest moral duty to immediately report all rule-breaking to the authorities”?
I want logical positivist schools that only teach scientifically verifiable truths about objective reality :)
But seriously, you make a good point. I think the number of people who agree with the claim is important, but there is perhaps a second issue in that some people claim that certain information can produce irreversible personality changes. If advocating homosexuality turned people gay (and shared environment does affect the prevalence of lesbians) then this causes a permanent hit to the utility function of a homophobe, whereas if some one wants their child not to share their toys ( because that’s communism, maybe?) then the child could still change their mind after they leave school.
Can/should a school teach that different racial groups are morally the same? What about that slavery is wrong? What about “be kind to each other and share your toys”? Is the difference purely that more people disagree with one claim as opposed to the others?
Let’s add to that list.
Can/should a school teach that Kim Jong-un is the greatest human being who ever lived and that only his incessant efforts keep the people safe and prosperous? What about “it is the highest moral duty to immediately report all rule-breaking to the authorities”?
I want logical positivist schools that only teach scientifically verifiable truths about objective reality :)
But seriously, you make a good point. I think the number of people who agree with the claim is important, but there is perhaps a second issue in that some people claim that certain information can produce irreversible personality changes. If advocating homosexuality turned people gay (and shared environment does affect the prevalence of lesbians) then this causes a permanent hit to the utility function of a homophobe, whereas if some one wants their child not to share their toys ( because that’s communism, maybe?) then the child could still change their mind after they leave school.