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Disproportionate Sacrifices: Ricoeur's Theories of Justice and the Widening Participation Agenda for Higher Education in the UK
Author(s) -
WATTS MICHAEL
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of philosophy of education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.501
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-9752
pISSN - 0309-8249
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9752.2006.00525.x
Subject(s) - economic justice , sociology , philosophy of education , higher education , law , media studies , social science , political science
Ricoeur's theories of justice are used here to examine the injustice of the utilitarian drive to widen participation in higher education in the UK and, in particular, the attribution of low aspirations and achievements to those young people who do not participate in higher education. Government policy is considered through Ricoeur's theory of the just state; and his ‘new commandment’ is used to consider the disproportionate sacrifice required of these young people if they are to enter higher education. Despite its specific focus, the paper's arguments are relevant to all policies that conflate social inclusion and economic development.