[TrevorJ]

What I am suggesting is that the true context is historical. Public education is relatively new compared to the amount of time humans have required an education. Mathematics, metallurgy, animal husbandry, architecture, construction, trade, language and economics have all required some form of education for thousands of years.

Rational arguments require comparisons, and if we narrow the scope of comparison to the repetitively new era and scope (american public education) then we ignore the preponderance of evidence from human history.