Segregating everyone into insular pockets of the like-minded just feeds ignorance, intolerance, and group-think. We shouldn't force beliefs on everyone, but we should reject ignoring facts or replacing them with beliefs.
There's a lot to be said for giving all children a baseline level of education based on fact so that everyone understands the world and the large problems we have and so they will know how to work together to face them.
The kids who are only ever taught that the world is 6,000 years old and flat, that women are inferior, that evolution is a lie, that global warming isn't real, or that gay people cause hurricanes are going to be at a substantial disadvantage in many areas of their lives and they will hinder efforts to resolve conflicts, to coordinate when necessary, and to reach general consensus.
If we accept that as justification, then we should actually be running re-education camps for adults.
And what if I want my kids to go to a school where they’re encouraged to think for themselves? To be interestingly wrong rather than boringly correct?
I really don’t think the facts you give as examples are that important when it comes to equipping a child with the skills they need for a lifetime. They’ll be faced with a different set of facts later in life anyways. The foundation of an education needs to be a little deeper than “not my enemy’s political views.”
There's a lot to be said for giving all children a baseline level of education based on fact so that everyone understands the world and the large problems we have and so they will know how to work together to face them.
The kids who are only ever taught that the world is 6,000 years old and flat, that women are inferior, that evolution is a lie, that global warming isn't real, or that gay people cause hurricanes are going to be at a substantial disadvantage in many areas of their lives and they will hinder efforts to resolve conflicts, to coordinate when necessary, and to reach general consensus.