Stephen Law is the author of the bestselling The Philosophy Files, The Outer Limits and The Philosophy Gym. He is a contributor to The Independent on Sunday and editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy journal Think: Philosophy for Everyone. He lectures in Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London.

The War for Childrens Minds is a candid and controversial call for a liberal, philosophically informed approach to raising children.

Introduction 1. The 'Twisted Legacy' of Enlightenment 2. Liberal with a Capital 'L' 3. Liberal and Authoritarian Educational Methods 4. Why Be Liberal (with a Capital 'L') 5. Different Kinds of Authority 6. The Moral Malaise and Moral Relativism 7. What's Wrong with Moral Relativism? 8. The Great Myth and the War for Children's Minds 9. Reason and Morality 10. Good Habits and the Rise of 'Character Education' 11. Tradition and Community 12. Keeping the Masses in Line 13. Conclusion and Recommendation

Behind headlines on the conflict in Iraq and global terrorism, a much deeper battle is raging over children and the values they should adopt. Political and religious leaders including Blair and Bush have been joined by the popular press in Enlightenment-bashing and bitter attacks on `liberal parenting calling for a return to authority and religious tradition. How do we raise good children? How do we make good citizens? In defiant yet acute fashion, Stephen Law urges us to re-evaluate the liberal tradition of thinking about morality. Tackling authoritarian rhetoric head-on, he argues that children should learn about right and wrong, and respect for others, but that their education should be grounded in the hard-won values of the Enlightenment. Taking on neo-conservatives and religious and media commentators, The War for Children's Minds is a candid and controversial call for a liberal, philosophically informed approach to raising children. A staunch defence of the humane, liberal life, The War for Children's Minds is a much-needed guide to an urgent moral conundrum.