Education, knowledge, equal opportunity, autonomy and a good life. These are the keywords shaping current social debate. Is education just an economic program or does knowledge have a value in its own right? Does education promise autonomy and a good life? What educational goals should the state set? What does the decree of equal opportunity mean?

In ancient philosophy, an interest in education grew out of the core question of human happiness and a good life. By reviving that connection this book returns education to the philosophical agenda.