Reading Sen on rights and population growth I came across the mention of 'autonomy, privacy and liberty' as rights. The revolutionary cry Liberty! Fraternity! Equality! came immediately to mind. I'm
not sure I would like to replace Fraternity and Equality with such things as Autonomy and Privacy. Certainly not privacy, something I feel is often quite detestable. (not that Sen argues for a replacement )
Though I am thoroughly enjoying Development as Freedom and agree with almost all it is saying I do get the impression that Sen avoids getting to grips with some fundamental questions concerning class and power. Often he compares a region with a nation and at times I suspect he may be a little selective in his choice of region. Though his conclusions are covincing is he really comparing like with like? But really I feel there is something rather 'middle way' and quite conservative about his writing and that his argument is more for a palliative than a solution.
Anyway, still 80 pages to go, so I may change my mind.
I heard the depressing news on the radio that the government intends to ring back something equivalent to the old entirely exam based O Levels for schoolchildren. The formal exam is acknowledged to be a pretty useless way of measuring the ability of anything except sitting exams. However coaching for exams is something that selective private schools are unsurprisingly good at so the change of policy may well be part of a larger attack on state education.
Having recently sat university exams I can say truthfully that not a single one judged my knowledge and understanding of the subject. One could probably have passed with a week's study from scratch and less with a basic background knowledge simply by careful choice of key topics and a good memory. Let's hope the government has been kicked out before they get a chance to introduce such a retrograde measure.
That's it. Now to see if this will post to the blog.