The Right to Higher Education

A Political Theory

Christopher Martin

One of the few philosophical defenses of the right to higher education
Offers a clearly defended account of the point and purpose of higher education: a topic of enduring controversy and debate in both public and policy circles
Addresses current debates that have received public attention such as student loans and elite university admission

The Right to Higher Education

A Political Theory

Christopher Martin

Description

Many assume that a person's right to education terminates with high school, and that higher education is a luxury addition. The conversation about education changes in palpable ways once we focus on higher education rather than the education we ordinarily think that citizens are due when they are children and teenagers. We see more talk about competition for university places, standardized testing, and elite admissions. We parse out the differences between the benefits of education for the individual and the burdens of public financial support for such an education. The move from educational provision for children to educational provision for adults marks a troubling transformation in this public conversation: from one about how it can improve the lives of all individuals, to one preoccupied with fairness, competition, merit, personal responsibility, and the sharing of benefits and burdens. Problems of status, stratification, and selectivity capture as much, if not more, of our attention than the question of what higher education institutions should aim to achieve. But why should it be so different, when it is no less essential? Obtaining a higher education degree can change the course of a person's life, providing them with vast opportunities that they could not access otherwise--in fact for many it is a prerequisite for fulfilling their personal and professional goals, or even being able to just make a living. Yet it is almost always framed as privilege, not a right--and a privilege many spend years or even decades paying for after their studies have ended. Our higher education systems are built on the presumption that this is all as it should be: that pursuing higher education is a choice some people make, but not something to which all of us are entitled.

Christopher Martin turns this view on its head by arguing that higher education is in fact an unconditional, absolute right of all citizens in a free and open society. As he argues, a closer look at the value of education in a free and open society reveals that many of the challenges we see in higher education today can be attributed to the failure to recognize higher education as an individual right. Using concepts and ideas from liberal political philosophy, Martin shows that access to educational goods play a key role in helping citizens realize their self-determined goals. Higher education should be understood as a basic social institution responsible for ensuring that all citizens can access these goods.

The necessary corrective, Martin argues, is simple: we need to stop allocating higher education to some, and allocate it to all who choose to pursue it. A readiness and willingness to learn should be the only qualification. Higher education should offer opportunities that benefit citizens with different interests and goals in life. Its foundational moral purpose should be to help citizens of all backgrounds to live better, freer lives.

The Right to Higher Education

A Political Theory

Christopher Martin

Introduction: Changing the Conversation about the Value of Higher Education
Chapter 1: Values and Aims of Higher Education
Chapter 2: Citizenship as an Aim of Higher Education
Chapter 3: Adulthood and the Right to Education
Chapter 4: The Right to Higher Education
Chapter 5: The Right to Higher Education and Political Authority
Chapter 6: The Right to Higher Education and the Problem of Unequal Benefits
Chapter 7: What Should the Right to Higher Education Look Like?

The Right to Higher Education

A Political Theory

Christopher Martin

Author Information

Christopher Martin is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Associate Member of the Department of Economics, Philosophy, and Political Science at The University of British Columbia. He is the author of Education in a Post-Metaphysical World (Bloomsbury Press, 2012), R.S. Peters (Bloomsbury Press, 2014; with Stefaan Cuypers), and Questioning the Classroom (Oxford University Press, 2016; with Dianne Gereluk, Bruce Maxwell, and Trevor Norris). His research areas include political philosophy and the philosophy of education.

The Right to Higher Education

A Political Theory

Christopher Martin

Reviews and Awards

"Martin's The Right to Higher Education is sure to become a touchstone text in higher education research. Though many theorists and advocates increasingly support thinking of higher education as a right, few offer arguments for this claim. Martin's careful, tightly argued book does just that. But perhaps the most significant contribution this book makes is shifting the debate in higher education away from inequality and economic mobility. Instead, Martin asks us to consider what role higher education should play in our lives." -- Jennifer Morton, University of Pennsylvania

"In this remarkable book, Christopher Martin argues that there is a robust, universal right to higher education and that vindicating this right requires reimagining the role of higher education in our lives. Drawing expertly on the tradition of perfectionist liberalism, Martin makes the case that the state has the authority-and the duty-to arrange higher educational institutions in a way that guarantees, to each citizen, the opportunity to live autonomously over the full course of a life. Few readers will come away unmoved by this inspiring vision of the place of higher education in a free society." -- David O'Brien, Tulane University

"Christopher Martin's book provides an original and comprehensive justification of higher education, which shapes a compelling vision of what universities and colleges should be doing. A major contribution to the philosophy of education, that should be read not just by philosophers, but by higher education teachers and leaders." -- Harry Brighouse, University of Wisconsin-Madison