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This paper explores, from the perspective of political philosophy of education, the hypothesis that an explicit and assumed paradigm shift from a republican view of school to a more democratic, individualistic, liberal and morally minimalist conception of school may be necessary in the near future. First we refine this initial diagnosis by specifying the way in which society of individuals compels institutions to work on redefining their legitimacy and the conditions of possibility of their action (1). Then we present three concepts drawn from the liberal axiomatic and/or its contemporary deployments and reinvestment - the axiological neutrality of the state, negative freedom and prudence - which we deem to enable school to take up such a challenge (2). Finally, we test these proposals for intellectual resources by showing how they can help school clarifying its social and political role, to make itself capable of being inclusive and inspiring confidence (3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our contemporary history, the debate about identities and communities has never been more important than it is today. This article looks at the issue of Internet discussion spaces and its effects on the nature of online interactions in a context marked by communitarianism. Could school teach citizenship through digital communication and information tools? In this paper, the light is shed on the effects of estrangement or community rapprochement that this kind of exchange allows us to observe. We wonder whether the virtual agora fits into a democratic public space's paradigm, which would then position it in the wider public debate about the Internet, education and citizenship issues. We use the regime of the Civic City, taken from the Economies of Worth theory, as a methodological matrix in order to analyze online discussion material, taken from 6 Lebanese information websites, which typically belong to a context marked by political and community-based fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]