THE “FREEDOM AND AUTHORITY MEMORANDUM”: A PHILOSOPHICAL ADDENDUM IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION

This article is a philosophical investigation of the “Freedom and Authority Memorandum”, written by A.W. Jones then Director‐General of Education in South Australia. The article has several purposes. First, it is an example of the contribution that philosophy can make to the formulation of educational policy. Second, it compares and contrasts two institutional styles for the purpose of elucidating the kind of bureaucratic organization commended by the memorandum. Third, the article attempts to demonstrate that contractual consent theory, in and of itself, does not dissolve many of the most serious problems that revolve around ideas of freedom and authority. Last, the article illustrates why, given the assumptions of institutional collectivism, the commitment to institutional individualism implicit in the “freedom and Authority Memorandum” cannot necessarily lead to happiness.