Education, extremism and utopian thinking

A salient feature of the extremist mindset is the belief that no price is too high to pay for the achievement of some utopian ideal. With schools in the UK and elsewhere now tasked with building children's resistence to extremism, the questions of what we should make of this belief, and whether and how we might properly discourage people from holding it, have become pressing ones. The aim of this theoretical research project will be to develop and defend answers to these questions.
The idea that schools should do something about the threat of extremism has recently gained considerable ground in education policy in the UK. The 2015 Counter Terrorism and Security Act imposes a duty on schools to 'have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism' (Section 26, para 1). The Department for Education's advice to schools on implementing the Prevent duty charges them with helping children and young people to 'understand the risks associated with terrorism and develop the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge extremist arguments' (DfE, 2015, p.5). Ofsted, England's school inspection agency, now judges schools on the extent to which they enable pupils to recognise the risks of radicalisation and extremism, and finds them inadequate when 'leaders and those responsible for governance are not protecting pupils from radicalisation and extremist views' (Ofsted, 2019, p.63).
Extremism is a complex and contested phenomenon. But it is clear that anticipation of a future ideal state or promised land plays a central role in many extremist ideologies. In their empirical study of the mindset of militant extremists, Gerard Saucier and colleagues identify 'utopianizing' as one of 16 recurrent features of extremist thinking (Saucier et al., 2009). And in his comprehensive philosophical treatment of the topic, Quassim Cassam argues that, while extremism is a family resemblance concept to which no one belief or attitude is strictly necessary, utopian thinking is prominent among its distinguishing characteristics (Cassam, forthcoming).
Not everyone who anticipates a utopian future believes that no price is too high to pay for the achievement of their ideal. But it is easy to see how the thought takes hold. If it is possible for humankind to enjoy a state of perfect harmony or fulfilment, what could be more important than realising that state? Why should the constraints of common morality, or concern for the rights and liberties of others, be allowed to stand in the way of everlasting peace and happiness?

What should we say about the idea that the great value of perfecting humanity justifies the suspension of ordinary moral and political constraints? Is it in some demonstrable way mistaken, and if so what kind of mistake has been made? Is it within the bounds of educational propriety to teach children that the belief is false, and by what means should educators seek to persuade them of this? If pupils are to be equipped with 'the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge extremist arguments', what do they need to know about the argument that the duty to bring about utopia overrides all other considerations?

The proposed research project will draw on moral, political and educational theory to answer these questions. Co-supervised by a philosopher of education (School of Education, University of Birmingham) and a political philosopher (School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham),the studentship-holder will use the analytical and argumentative methods of philosophy to develop a normative account of how educators should address the problematic belief.