If there is no state to support citizens in need, they will be obliged to fall back on their families and religious communities for support. This has the effect of reinforcing traditional social values, since it puts these families and communities in a position to condition their support on the rejection of certain beliefs, identities, or ways of life that they may find objectionable. A robust system of public goods gives citizens the necessary support structures to make their own choices—and to take full advantage of democracy’s freedoms.

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "If there is no state to support citizens in need, they will be obliged to fall back on their families and religious communities for support. This has the effect of reinforcing traditional social values, since it puts these families and communities in a position to condition their support on the rejection of certain beliefs, identities, or ways of life that they may find objectionable. A robust system of public goods gives citizens the necessary support structures to make their own choices—and to take full advantage of democracy’s freedoms." in the context of "Chapter 5: "Anti-education". Stanley paraphrases and explains a quote from Melinda Cooper's book Family Values: Between Neoliberalism and the New Social Conservatism (Zone Books, 2017)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.