ABSTRACT
Political, economic, and educational theory are deeply connected. This is inevitable since the subject matter of these three classes of theory-that is, power and policy, the distribution of necessities and wealth, and what people learn and believe-interpenetrate so deeply. Still, American citizens are generally unaware of these deep connections as well as the degree to which each arena functions on the basis of certain key assumptions about the human condition. L-stream logic contends that we remain economic men and women in a state of nature that boasts an inexhaustible supply of acorns and apples. Because passionate self-interest is “sewn into our very nature,” a smooth-functioning republic needs a governmental structure that limits citizen participation, it needs a free market economy that endorses unlimited accumulation, and it needs a school system that focuses on the eventual economic contribution of youth.
