Balancing Acts: Considering Spherical Interests and Meta-Spherical Standards in the Thought of Amy Gutmann and David Blacker and in the Workings of International Human Rights Discourse

Abstract

Introduction:  In an article elaborating Michael Walzer’s theory of spherical pluralism from the perspective of educational theory, David Blacker takes on a central problem within the difficult and ongoing project of defining education’s place in the context of our complex, culturally and institutionally plural society. Blacker considers education’s place in relation to other, societally established spheres, raising the question of how we can best strike a balance between, on the one hand, enabling diverse institutional spheres of human activity (spheres such as for-profit business, political governance, and public education) to flourish each in its own way and in terms of its own sense of the good, and, on the other hand, upholding a meta-spherical, «simpler equality of ‘status’ or ‘recognition’» that enables fair settlements of differences arising between and among members of varying spheres. 1 Taking up this question as essential for conceiving, developing, and sustaining good citizenship and good educational practice in today’s United States and wider world community. This paper will review answers that have been proposed by two political theorists focusing on U.S. education policies - Amy Gutmann and David Blacker - and then move on to consider spherical pluralism’s is contribution as applied to education in a broader, international context. The decision to extend the conversation about spherical pluralism in education to an international context is justified because both the educational sphere and spheres that prominently influence it, such as for-profit business and political governance, are importantly international in character. Educators worldwide are affected in common by the movements and enterprises of multinational corporations and by the interactions of political governing bodies; essential educational issues influenced by these things include availability of resources and supportive infrastructure for schooling, curriculum priorities as affected by international standardized test comparisons, and school attendance as affected by child labor laws and practices.