John Stuart Mill On Education Analysis

Most developed countries around the world impose a form of compulsory education where people are required to forgo a period of education. In the U.S. every child has access to education from grades K-12. Unfortunately, any higher education comes at a big price. Tuition is at an all time high and student debt reached a record of 1.2 trillion in 2012 . Tuition in a state-public university in 1978 was $688, in 2011 it was $7,701, more than 11 times in 23 years (author, year). Political philosophers have always come up with theories on what is the best option to solve the world problems. And in order to address these critical issues affecting millions of students, for example, whereas John Stuart Mill would argue that the individual should have …show more content…
Mill, would say that the individual should be the one to choose if he wants to seek higher education and if he does, it would be his duty to pay for such expenses. In Plato 's ideal world, the government will have to ensure that education be a right, free and accessible for everyone in order for a peaceful, prosperous and just society to exist. Plato, in response to Mill, would say, "calculation and geometry and all the other elements of instruction, which are a preparation for dialectic, should be presented to the mind in childhood; not, however, under any notion of forcing our system of education" (Plato, The Republic). Plato under no circumstances wants to enforce his educational system on anyone. He just wants to make it affordable and make it a right to anyone who wants it. Although Mill argues that each individual should decide if he wants to pursue higher education, in the case of compulsory education, he believes that "Were the duty of enforcing universal education once admitted, there would be an end to the difficulties about what the State should teach, and how it should teach" (Mill, On Liberty). People can decide whether they want to persue higher education, and if the government is facilitating the process by making college affordable or free, the government, given that is just and rule by philosophers, in my opinion and on Plato 's, …show more content…
In order to fix the broken educational system, Hobbes would take to the supreme sovereign to make higher education free or affordable to all. Problem with that would be that if people become educated, they might rise up to the Sovereign and challenge its authority. To Hobbes, there are no limits to the powers of the sovereign. If people do decide to remove him, there will be chaos. Plato would argue that people could rule themselves as long as they are rational and educated and just abounds. He says, "the philosopher will have the quality of gentleness". Plato will in no way let a dictator run his government because a sovereign with absolute power can do bad things to society if he is not a lover of justice, knowledge, and is not gentle. Hobbes said, "knowledge is power" and as we all know, knowledge is indeed very powerful that governments try to suppress knowledge and keep it to themselves so people wont be able to rise up. Therefore it is crucial for a government to guarantee free education to all and for