he main premises of this book are that democracy is a moral rather than merely a political system; that it provides a set of moral principles which must be adhered to in all social planning; and that much current social policy worldwide ignores those moral imperatives and thus places democracy itself at risk. The author sets out to clarify the principles which are central to any concept of democracy, and which must be reflected in all social institutions within a democratic society. He explores the significance, for the democratic health of a society, of the way in which knowledge is conceived, especially within educational planning. In the light of both these considerations, he identifies the essential features of a genuinely democratic system of education, and evaluates current policies for education.