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Part of article 26, section 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the eleme

by walkon 17y ago

Part of article 26, section 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory... I simply disagree with this. It is not a right that everyone have a free education anymore than it is a right that everyone have a free pair of underwear, but people get confused because one seems noble and the other silly. Why do they use the word "free" here when obviously it isn't? Also is this really a guarantee, as you state? If so, I am sure the UN (which gets 20-25% of its funds from the U.S.) is failing to back this guarantee, as I am sure there are millions around the world not receiving their compulsory elementary education. Perhaps the U.S. should focus on making their education system work and be well funded before signing declarations that "guarantee" every human, no matter how matter how exponential their procreation, receive a "free" elementary education?

scythe 17y ago
>I simply disagree with this. It is not a right that everyone have a free education anymore than it is a right that everyone have a free pair of underwear, but people get confused because one seems noble and the other silly. Why do they use the word "free" here when obviously it isn't? http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/what-happened-to-argentina/ http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/what-happened-t...
- walkon 17y ago
  Does your link explain how education is a human right or free? It might be a good investment, but that hardly makes it free. When anything that requires significant effort (skills, capital, services, etc) is pronounced as a right to be given to all, that right, by definition, necessitates payment or enslavement of others to be fulfilled.
  - scythe 17y ago
    Please stop mincing words; you know as well as I do what the phrase "free and compulsory education" refers to. Yes, it's tax-funded. No, taxes do not constitute enslavement. (And before you mention that you said "payment or enslavement of others", let's both agree to admit that you included the word "enslavement" solely for dramatic effect.) I'm not going to play the "human rights" game, because you have no rights [1]. I'm going to say that providing education to everyone has been proven time and again to be good for society [2]. The attitude of "oh well it's not a right" is perhaps the greatest piece of sophistry I've been subjected to in some time, in that the definition of a "right" is entirely subjective and consequently useless. It is a right as much as the freedom of speech, in that it's provision helps to provide a basic framework that is necessary for a free society. An uneducated populace cannot perform simple democratic tasks, like, say, voting. Speaking of which, why is voting a right? Doesn't counting several million ballots require "significant effort"? I certainly couldn't do it in an afternoon! Are you "enslaved" by having to pay for people to count ballots? [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWiBt-pqp0E#t=4m0s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWiBt-pqp0E#t=4m0s [2] http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/want-a-stronger-democracy-invest-in-education/ http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/want-a-stronger...

by walkon 17y ago

scythe 17y ago

>I simply disagree with this. It is not a right that everyone have a free education anymore than it is a right that everyone have a free pair of underwear, but people get confused because one seems noble and the other silly. Why do they use the word "free" here when obviously it isn't? http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/what-happened-to-argentina/ http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/what-happened-t...

walkon 17y ago
Does your link explain how education is a human right or free? It might be a good investment, but that hardly makes it free. When anything that requires significant effort (skills, capital, services, etc) is pronounced as a right to be given to all, that right, by definition, necessitates payment or enslavement of others to be fulfilled.
- scythe 17y ago
  Please stop mincing words; you know as well as I do what the phrase "free and compulsory education" refers to. Yes, it's tax-funded. No, taxes do not constitute enslavement. (And before you mention that you said "payment or enslavement of others", let's both agree to admit that you included the word "enslavement" solely for dramatic effect.) I'm not going to play the "human rights" game, because you have no rights [1]. I'm going to say that providing education to everyone has been proven time and again to be good for society [2]. The attitude of "oh well it's not a right" is perhaps the greatest piece of sophistry I've been subjected to in some time, in that the definition of a "right" is entirely subjective and consequently useless. It is a right as much as the freedom of speech, in that it's provision helps to provide a basic framework that is necessary for a free society. An uneducated populace cannot perform simple democratic tasks, like, say, voting. Speaking of which, why is voting a right? Doesn't counting several million ballots require "significant effort"? I certainly couldn't do it in an afternoon! Are you "enslaved" by having to pay for people to count ballots? [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWiBt-pqp0E#t=4m0s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWiBt-pqp0E#t=4m0s [2] http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/want-a-stronger-democracy-invest-in-education/ http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/want-a-stronger...