Title: Government Should Not Dictate What is Taught in Schools, Free Choice Must Rule
Headings: Government Should Not Dictate What is Taught in Schools, Free Choice Must Rule
Government Should Not Dictate What is Taught in Schools, Free Choice Must Rule
Content: When people thought the world was the center of the universe, it was easy to accept that as the truth. There was no competition to that idea and the best minds believed it was true and taught it to others. It wasn’t until some brave people challenged the experts that people discovered the geocentric idea was full of holes and eventually discredited the idea. This competition of ideas is essential for the discovery of truth and knowledge. When a curriculum or standardized exam dictates that a certain set of ideas is most important and excludes all others, we continue to put our faith in experts and ignore other possibilities. If we want to progress and gain new knowledge, it is essential that there is a free marketplace of ideas. Only in a system of competition and free exchange of ideas can the best ideas emerge. Americans have traditionally held the freedom of speech as sacred for that reason. Without the ability to question and challenge the status quo, we can never advance our knowledge and achieve a better understanding of the world. Allowing the government to dictate what can and cannot be taught in schools is as much an affront to free speech as the government controlling the press or the internet.