Considerations on Religion and Public Education: With remarks on the speech of M. Dupont delivered in the National Convention of France, together with an address to the ladies, &c. of Great Britain and Ireland

Key themes

Religion and Education

This is the central theme of the work. More argues passionately that religion, specifically Christianity, is not merely an optional component of education but its absolute foundation. She believes that true moral principles, social order, and individual virtue can only be cultivated through an education deeply rooted in faith. Without religious instruction, education becomes dangerous, producing intelligent but amoral citizens.

Moral Decay and Societal Order

More posits a direct correlation between the abandonment of religious principles and the disintegration of social order. She views moral decay as an inevitable consequence of secularism, leading to anarchy, violence, and the breakdown of traditional institutions. For More, a stable society is one built upon a shared moral code derived from divine law, and education is the primary means of inculcating this code.

Critique of Enlightenment / Revolutionary Ideals

More critically engages with the radical ideals of the Enlightenment, particularly those that championed 'reason' and 'liberty' while dismissing or attacking religion. She sees these ideals, when untethered from divine guidance, as dangerous and destructive, leading to intellectual arrogance and moral relativism rather than true progress. She views the French Revolution as the catastrophic outcome of such unchecked philosophical experimentation.

Worth discussing

To what extent do More's arguments about religion and moral education remain relevant in contemporary debates about public schooling?