Two Liberal Trajectories of Civic Education: The Political and Educational Thought of Hobbes and Winstanley

Abstract

The moment of the English Civil war marks a historical turning point toward the establishment of modem liberal democratic institutions. The authors argue that at this juncture there were two political and educational alternatives offered by Thomas Hobbes and Gerrard Winstanley respectively, which constitute two liberal trajectories. The Hobbesian trajectory is based upon negative liberty and state sovereignty which renders an educational approach in comparative tension between the demands of liberty and those of conformity. The Winstanley trajectory is premised upon positive liberty and a communitarian and democratic notion of sovereignty which renders an educational approach devoted to the cultivation of independent civic judgement grounded in community life. The authors argue that while both trajectories have flaws Winstanley's thought is pregnant with greater democratic possibility