People tend to be happy when those around them are happy.

I seriously wonder about that sometimes. 

At least the capitalist is depending upon observed human behavior (maybe even as strong as instinct).

My arguments are also formed through observation of human behavior.  Everyone wants to learn.  Everyone wants to be part of a group.  People tend to be happy when those around them are happy.

If someone who doesn’t respect individual rights popped out of the public education system they would be welcome to debate their belief with those around them.  My guess is they would be in the minority, but since I’m trying to achieve an unbiased education I’m not going to change the school because someone like them came out.

On a side note I would be quite happy to have a system that encouraged someone as influential and intelligent as Mr. Marx.

On a practical level don’t disregard the fact that many interpretations of knowledge can coexist without major problems. As far as people being robots, they are pretty predictable.

I think these many interpretations lead to interesting things like religion, politics and markets. Each person individually, or perhaps in a cultural or personality-type context, may be predictable, but I think it would be difficult to predict how any random person will act. (In any interesting scenario anyway, outside of universal truths or ideas.)

Ugh. I don’t have an easy answer for you. This would require a rebuild of just about all of my political philosophies. It’s like asking a Capitalist what system would work best if people weren’t motivated by wealth, or heck even survival.

At least the capitalist is depending upon observed human behavior (maybe even as strong as instinct). I’ll skip past the possible conflict of interest the government would have requiring education for itself to function and suggest that you aren’t really interested in education itself as you are values or the conclusions reached from it. This would be consistent with your core belief. (The common conclusion would be to recognize the importance of individual rights.) Well, what happens when the next Karl Marx pops out of your public education program? I believe he was fairly well educated.

Edit: Maybe Marx isn’t the best example here since he was home schooled at first, but you catch my drift.

Do no agree. Perhaps 90% of the time, but what changes is the context and interpretation of data. Otherwise we would be robots

On a practical level don’t disregard the fact that many interpretations of knowledge can coexist without major problems. As far as people being robots, they are pretty predictable.

how do you force somebody to learn, or as you say, analyze and critique?

This is a tough one. You can’t hold a gun to their back. I think the community as a whole should refuse to deal with a person who refuses to educate themselves. Should you let the person starve to death? Possibly. I think life without social interactions is meaningless so shunning should be an adequate incentive. Lets apply this. 16 year old Little Johnny doesn’t want to go to any school or help the community in an appreciable way. He decides to spend his days sitting around doing nothing. The community stops providing him with food and shelter (this may require force to remove him from a community dwelling). Little Johnny is still entitled to enough land to exist so he gets booted from the community into the "wild" with everyone else who doesn’t want to pull their weight. Here’s the issue. Students like Little Johnny really don’t exist. If they do, it’s at most one in a thousand kids. Most kids are willing to learn if they think what they are learning is important. If you give them a little choice and demonstrate the importance of the subject to them, they will apply themselves.

In your opinion, if an educated populace cannot be guaranteed, what form of government would work?

Ugh. I don’t have an easy answer for you. This would require a rebuild of just about all of my political philosophies.  It’s like asking a Capitalist what system would work best if people weren’t motivated by wealth, or heck even survival.

…if people are given access to the same information they come to the same conclusions…

Do no agree.  Perhaps 90% of the time, but what changes is the context and interpretation of data.  Otherwise we would be robots.

Unfortunately many people in this country do not have access to the information or they choose not to think about it or they are being fed biased information and don’t care to look into it.  Starting at an early age people need to be forced to analyze and critique.  You can do this through environmental motivators or by making the material engaging.

I think newspapers, television, libraries and the internet, as biased as they are, have done a pretty good job of making information available to Joe American.  While your take on education (that it is self-driven) is accurate, how do you force somebody to learn, or as you say, analyze and critique?  A major failing of public school is that it is forced to try and teach those who simply don’t want to learn.  How far are you willing to push compulsory education?  In your opinion, if an educated populace cannot be guaranteed, what form of government would work?