ABSTRACT
Inrecentyears,liberaleducationa1theoryandpracticehas comeunderincreasingattackfrombothradicaland conservativesources.Inresponsetotheseattacks,andas anexpressionofitsmmposition,ithassoughtsupportby appealingtoarangeofvalues.Thesehaveincluded tolerance,impartiality,open-mindedness,thedisinterested pursuitoftruth,andneutrality.Thelastofthese,in particular,hasbeenthefocusofpublicdiscussion.Some liberaleducatorshavearguedthatwithrespecttoparty politics,politicaltheory,religiousbelief,and controversialmoralissues,theschool,schooling authorities,and/orteachersoughttoreme.inneutral.But inreplytothisithasbeenchargenthattheycannotanddo notremainneutralontheseandotherissues,andthatthe demandforneutralityisideologicallymotivated.1AsPau..lo Freirewrites:'Thosewhotalkofneutralityareprecisely thosewhoareafraidoflosingtheirrighttouseneutrality totheirownadvantage.'2ThedefendersofneutraJ_ityhave generallyremainedunpersuaded.Theyarguethatthosewho claimneutralitytobeimpossiblepavethewayfor totalitarianism,notliberation.Whereneutralityisdeemed impossible,actionsareimmediatelypolarisedinto 'friendly'and'hostile'.So,LeszekKolakowski:
Thetotalitarianconceptionoftheuniversity impliesthatnohumanvaluesexistthat transcendtheparticularinterestsofoneor otheroftheconflictingpoliticalgroups. Thisprincipleobviouslyentailsthat whateverintheexistingspiritualculture cannotbeusedasatoolforthepursuitof 'our'politicalgoalsisnecessariJyatool for'our'enemies. 3
Wehave,then,twobroadissuestoconsider:first, whether,andifso,whatkindofneutralityispossible; andsecondly,whether,andifso,underwhatcircumstances itshouldbesought.Thekindofanswerwegive+,othese questionswillbecloselylinkedtotheaccount\vegiveof neutrality,anditistothisthat11resh8l1fiveinitial consideration.
