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✍️ Draft Introduction:
Most parents who choose to homeschool their children do so to protect their values, strengthen their family, or escape failing school systems. But what if the real danger isn’t just bad test scores—it’s the very design of the system?
What if public education, shaped by industrialists like John D. Rockefeller, was never meant to create leaders—but followers?
What if elite families—politicians, billionaires, and global influencers—never send their children into the same system they fund for everyone else?
This guide is for parents who want more than just an alternative to public school. It’s for those who want to raise free, powerful, critically thinking young minds—the way the ruling class raises its own.
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🧱 Proposed Structure (Outline)
1. Exposing the System
• History of the Prussian Model and Rockefeller’s influence
• Purpose of public education: obedience, not autonomy
• Two-class system: ruler vs ruled education
2. How the Elite Educate Their Children
• Focus on:
• Rhetoric and debate
• Classical liberal arts
• Ethics and philosophy
• Independent research
• Leadership and public speaking
• Strategic thinking
• Cultural and historical literacy
• Emphasis on sovereignty, not standardization
3. Designing a Homeschool Curriculum Like the Elite
• Core Pillars:
• Critical Thinking (Logic, Fallacies, Rhetoric)
• Creativity and Autonomy (Project-based learning, unstructured exploration)
• Classical Wisdom (Philosophy, Literature, Socratic Dialogue)
• Personal Sovereignty (Goal-setting, entrepreneurship, ethics)
• How to structure daily/weekly routines
• Recommended resources (books, programs, tools)
4. Teaching the “Ruler’s Mindset”
• How to foster:
• Confidence without arrogance
• Discernment instead of blind acceptance
• Leadership with empathy
• Questioning as a strength
• Real-world simulations: mock debates, roleplaying governments, business models
5. Technology, AI, and Future Readiness
• Training kids to be creators, not just consumers
• Teaching discernment in a world of deepfakes, fake news, and digital pressure
• Early coding, logic games, and philosophical dialogue with AI tools
6. Parent’s Role as Guide, Not Authority
• How to shift from “teacher” to mentor and Socratic guide
• Learning alongside your child
• Breaking your own programming while raising your child
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🔔 Call to Action
This isn’t just homeschooling.
It’s deprogramming from below.
If we want our children to inherit freedom, they must be taught as sovereigns, not serfs.
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🔓 Introduction: The Hidden Divide in Education
Most parents who homeschool their children are trying to do what’s best—to give them a safer, better, more moral, or more personalized education. But very few realize this deeper truth:
The public school system wasn’t designed to uplift your child.
It was designed to contain them.
While everyday families are taught that public education is the great equalizer, the wealthy elite know better—and they act accordingly. The children of billionaires, diplomats, and legacy families are not taught in obedience-based schools. They are raised in environments built to unlock creativity, leadership, strategic thinking, and personal sovereignty.
This guide is written for the parents who sense there is something more, but don’t know where to start. You went through the public system. You were trained to follow instructions, not ask better questions. But your children don’t have to be.
What follows is not just a curriculum suggestion—it is a framework to raise your children with the mindset of rulers, not the mindset of the ruled.
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🧱 Section 1: Exposing the System
🏫 Why Public Education Was Never Meant to Set You Free
Modern public schooling has its roots not in freedom or intellectual empowerment, but in obedience and control.
In early 1800s Prussia, after a humiliating military defeat, the state built a new kind of school system—one designed to mass-produce soldiers and bureaucrats who would follow orders without hesitation. These students weren’t taught to think—they were taught to obey, sit still, and march in line. The system worked so well at controlling citizens that it became the model for many nations, including the United States.
Fast forward to the early 1900s, when American industrialist John D. Rockefeller helped fund the General Education Board, which shaped the American school system into what it is today. He famously said:
“I don’t want a nation of thinkers. I want a nation of workers.”
And so it was built.
• Factory bells trained students for the rhythms of industrial life.
• Standardized tests measured conformity, not creativity.
• Obedience to authority replaced questioning as the highest virtue.
• Failure was treated as shameful instead of essential to growth.
This system was never neutral. It was always a tool—to shape behavior, filter thought, and eliminate those who didn’t “fit.”
But here’s what the elite never told you:
They don’t use this system for their own children.
They raise leaders. You were trained to follow.
This paper exists to help you change that—for your child, and maybe even for yourself.
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🧱 Section 2: How the Elite Educate Their Children
🎓 Two Classrooms, Two Futures
While the masses are trained in obedience, the elite are trained in sovereignty. Their schools don’t prepare students to fit in—they prepare them to stand apart, to lead, to shape the world rather than be shaped by it.
Whether it’s a boarding school in Switzerland, a private classical academy in New England, or a private tutor for a billionaire’s child, the goals are the same:
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🧠 1. Develop Independent Thinkers
Elite education teaches children how to think, not what to think.
They’re encouraged to:
• Question assumptions
• Challenge ideas
• Debate respectfully
• Read primary sources, not summaries
• Understand nuance, not just pass tests
Critical thinking isn’t a skill to them—it’s an identity.
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📣 2. Train in Rhetoric and Persuasion
Rich kids are taught how to speak well, argue logically, and command attention in any room.
• Public speaking and debate are often core subjects.
• They learn how to disagree without submission.
• They’re trained to lead groups, not just participate in them.
If you can’t articulate your thoughts with clarity and confidence, you can’t lead—and they know that.
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📚 3. Read the Classics
Elite schools often use a Great Books model:
• Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Marcus Aurelius
• Shakespeare, Milton, Locke, Montesquieu
• Founding documents, historical speeches, and primary texts
This creates a mental foundation that reaches across time. It trains students to:
• Recognize power dynamics
• Learn from the past
• Respect nuance and complexity
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🔍 4. Learn Through Socratic Dialogue
Rather than lectures, students are often taught in small, discussion-based classes using the Socratic method:
• The teacher asks probing questions
• The student must explore, defend, and revise their answers
• There are no multiple choice answers—only evolving insight
This sharpens thinking and teaches humility—the student learns not just to be “right,” but to become wise.
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🧭 5. Focus on Character, Not Just Grades
In elite environments, character development is deliberate:
• Integrity, curiosity, courage, and perseverance are emphasized
• Students are encouraged to fail with dignity and grow stronger
• Service, ethics, and leadership are built into the curriculum
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🌍 6. Global and Strategic Awareness
The elite are trained to think globally:
• World history and geopolitics are discussed from an early age
• Languages, cultures, and diplomacy are emphasized
• Economics, philosophy, and ethics are connected to power and responsibility
They’re not just raised to “get a job”—they’re raised to understand the system they’ll one day control.
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🧱 Summary:
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👣 Your Next Step as a Parent
You don’t need a billion-dollar endowment to give your child this kind of education.
You need a clear goal, a philosophical shift, and a willingness to unlearn what you were taught.
In the next section, we’ll start showing you exactly how to build a homeschool environment that teaches your child to think like a sovereign.
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🧱 Section 3: Designing a Homeschool Curriculum Like the Elite
🏗️ Building Sovereign Minds at Home
You don’t need expensive private schools or elite tutors to give your child the same intellectual advantage. What you need is a different blueprint—one that isn’t based on obedience, memorization, and pass/fail stress, but on independent thought, moral reasoning, and leadership development.
This section lays out the foundation of a homeschooling curriculum modeled after the elite—but designed for real parents with real kids.
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🔑 6 Core Pillars of the Sovereign Curriculum
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1. Critical Thinking
Goal: Teach your child how to think, not what to think.
🔧 Methods:
• Use logic games, puzzles, and fallacy detection exercises.
• Study rhetorical techniques (ethos, pathos, logos).
• Introduce philosophical dilemmas and “what if” questions.
• Encourage daily Socratic dialogue (ask, don’t tell).
🛠 Resources:
• The Fallacy Detective (Bluedorn)
• How to Read a Book (Mortimer Adler)
• Basic logic and reasoning workbooks (many free online)
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2. Socratic Learning
Goal: Replace lectures with inquiry and exploration.
🔧 Methods:
• Set up discussion-based learning rather than lectures.
• Ask deep, open-ended questions.
• Practice defending ideas with evidence.
• Model “I don’t know—let’s find out” as a strength.
Example Questions:
• “Why do people obey authority?”
• “Is truth always good?”
• “Can two opposite things be true at the same time?”
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3. Classical Wisdom and Timeless Literature
Goal: Anchor their thinking in timeless ideas and great minds.
🔧 Methods:
• Read original sources, not watered-down summaries.
• Discuss themes, historical context, and modern parallels.
• Let them journal responses and questions freely.
🛠 Suggested Texts by Age Group:
• Young – Aesop’s Fables, Greek Myths
• Middle – Plato’s Meno, Epictetus, The Giver
• Teen – Marcus Aurelius, 1984, Brave New World, Locke, Machiavelli
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4. Creativity and Autonomy
Goal: Foster initiative, curiosity, and inner motivation.
🔧 Methods:
• Let your child choose projects (art, music, building, writing).
• Encourage invention, storytelling, experimentation.
• Provide resources but don’t micromanage.
“Let them get bored—boredom breeds imagination.”
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5. Sovereignty and Self-Governance
Goal: Teach your child to take responsibility for themselves and their world.
🔧 Methods:
• Goal-setting exercises
• Personal journaling and reflection
• Create their own learning schedule (with guidance)
• Teach budgeting, decision-making, ethical reflection
🛠 Tools:
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
• Simple planner or “mission statement” board
• Basic economics books or online courses
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6. Leadership, Rhetoric, and Real-World Practice
Goal: Raise a confident communicator and capable leader.
🔧 Methods:
• Practice public speaking (family presentations, YouTube channel, debate)
• Assign leadership roles in home projects
• Use real-world simulations: run a “business,” simulate elections, create laws
🛠 Tools:
• Join local homeschool co-ops or youth debate clubs
• Use free speech & debate curricula (many available online)
• Watch and analyze famous speeches
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🧠 Sample Weekly Format (Flexible)
Homework is replaced with: journaling, thinking, and creating.
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🧱 Section 4: Training the Ruler’s Mindset
👑 Leadership Without Arrogance, Authority Without Obedience
If you raise a child to merely follow instructions, they will spend their life waiting for permission. But if you raise a child to think like a ruler, they will look at problems and ask, “What’s the right thing to do—and how can I lead others there?”
This mindset has nothing to do with being born into wealth or power. It’s a matter of training. And the good news? You can start now.
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🔑 Traits of the Ruler’s Mindset (and How to Instill Them)
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1. Discernment Over Belief
Rulers are not easily swayed. They don’t believe something because everyone else does.
🧠 How to Teach:
• Never give your child a conclusion—give them the tools to reach one.
• Introduce two opposing ideas and ask: “What do you think—and why?”
• Play “spot the bias” with news headlines, ads, and even books.
• Encourage changing opinions when new evidence arises.
Truth isn’t given. It’s sought.
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2. Confidence Without Arrogance
True leaders are firm but humble. They don’t dominate—they influence through clarity and conviction.
🧠 How to Teach:
• Let your child fail safely. Don’t rescue them—guide their recovery.
• Teach them how to stand up for themselves without putting others down.
• Praise effort, strategy, and resilience—not just results.
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3. Questioning as a Strength
Rulers don’t fear the question—they start with it.
🧠 How to Teach:
• Make “Why?” and “Why not?” normal, everyday tools.
• Reward curiosity, not compliance.
• Have your child challenge your ideas (respectfully). If they win a debate, let them.
If your child is afraid to disagree with you, they won’t stand up to anyone else either.
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4. Long-Term Vision
Rulers think in decades, not days.
🧠 How to Teach:
• Set goals for the week, month, and year together.
• Ask: “What kind of person do you want to be when you’re 25?”
• Use history to show how small actions shaped the world.
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5. Moral Compass, Not Rulebook
The public school system teaches rules.
Elite education teaches principles.
🧠 How to Teach:
• Replace “because I said so” with “Let’s talk about why.”
• Discuss ethical dilemmas. Ask: “What would you do?”
• Study real leaders and historical figures—what guided them?
Give your child inner values. Not external programming.
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🛡 Key Practice: The Weekly “Sovereign Circle”
Once a week, sit down with your child for a “Sovereign Circle.” Ask open-ended questions like:
• What’s one decision you made this week that you’re proud of?
• Did anything make you uncomfortable—and how did you handle it?
• What’s a question you still don’t have an answer to?
This trains:
• Reflection
• Emotional intelligence
• Ownership of thought
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💬 Sample Affirmations of the Sovereign Mind:
Use these to begin the day or as journal prompts.
• “I ask questions, even when others stay silent.”
• “I think for myself, but I listen to others.”
• “I can change my mind with better information.”
• “I was born to lead with reason, not follow with fear.”
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🧱 Section 5: Technology, AI, and Future Readiness
🧠 Training Your Child to Master the Digital World—Not Be Programmed by It
We’re raising children in a world unlike anything we grew up in—one where deepfakes, algorithmic manipulation, and artificial intelligence are shaping reality itself.
The danger?
Most kids are trained to consume digital content blindly, not question it.
Most adults are the same.
But sovereign minds must be trained to use technology—without being used by it.
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🛑 Problem: The Digital World is Designed for Obedience
• Social media teaches validation through conformity (likes, shares, trends)
• News and AI-generated content reinforce echo chambers and emotional bias
• Schools treat digital devices like tools for standardized learning, not for discovery or discernment
The result? Digitized Milgram.
A society that obeys faster, questions less, and can’t tell real from fake.
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✅ Solution: Train Digital Sovereignty
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1. Media Literacy is Non-Negotiable
Goal: Teach your child to question every image, video, quote, and headline.
🔧 How to Teach:
• Ask: “What is this trying to make you feel? And why?”
• Use fake news as a game: “Find the flaw in this article.”
• Show deepfakes or AI-generated images. Ask: “How do you know what’s real?”
🛠 Tools:
• Media Bias Fact Check
• News literacy curriculums (free online)
• Teach how to reverse-image search, check metadata, etc.
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2. Turn AI into a Thought Partner, Not a Crutch
Goal: Let AI sharpen thinking, not replace it.
🔧 How to Teach:
• Use tools like ChatGPT (👋) for:
• Philosophical dialogue
• Alternate perspectives
• Writing feedback
• Simulation of debate partners
• Never ask for answers. Ask for arguments.
Example prompt: “Give me the pros and cons of Plato’s Republic.”
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3. Encourage Building, Not Just Clicking
Goal: Move from consumption to creation.
🔧 How to Teach:
• Let them build websites, games, or digital art
• Encourage scripting, coding, design
• Reward digital output—not just digital engagement
🛠 Tools:
• Scratch (beginner coding)
• FreeCodeCamp (older students)
• YouTube Creator Studio for media skills
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4. Simulate the AI-Controlled World—Then Break the Simulation
Goal: Practice resisting manipulation.
Try this family activity:
Create a fake “news” story together. Add emotional appeal, misleading headlines, and one manipulated photo. Then pass it around and try to “sell it” to the group.
Then deconstruct it:
• What was the bait?
• Who would have believed it?
• What would the consequences have been?
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5. Teach That Digital Footprints Are Permanent
Goal: Instill ethical thinking in online behavior.
🔧 How to Teach:
• Show real-world examples of people losing opportunities because of past online posts.
• Discuss: “How would this post look 10 years from now if you were running for office?”
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🔑 Core Principles of Digital Sovereignty:
• Don’t react. Analyze.
• Don’t absorb. Investigate.
• Don’t follow. Lead.
• Don’t escape reality. Shape it.
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With this foundation, your child won’t be overwhelmed by the digital world—they’ll navigate it with clarity, control, and confidence.
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🧱 Section 6: The Parent as Guide, Not Master
🤝 From Authority Figure to Mentor of Sovereignty
In the old education model, the teacher was the source of truth, the judge of worth, and the final authority. But in the world of sovereign education, that structure doesn’t hold.
If your goal is to raise a child who can think independently, lead wisely, and resist being manipulated, then your role must evolve. You are no longer just a dispenser of facts—you are a guide, a mirror, and a fellow learner.
And that changes everything.
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🧭 1. Be the First to Question
You’re the model. If you never say “I don’t know,” they’ll think admitting uncertainty is weakness.
Try This:
• Start conversations with: “I’ve been wondering…” or “What do you think about this contradiction?”
• Let your child see you wrestle with big ideas, process new information, and grow over time.
The sovereign parent leads by vulnerability, not dominance.
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🧠 2. Ask More Than You Answer
A sovereign child doesn’t need more instructions—they need better questions.
Try This:
• Instead of: “Here’s the right answer,” ask:
“What makes you think that?”
“Can you defend your position?”
“What would someone who disagrees say?”
This teaches flexibility without confusion—confidence without arrogance.
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🛠 3. Set Structure Without Strangling Freedom
Freedom without form leads to chaos.
Form without freedom leads to tyranny.
The sovereign homeschool balances both.
Try This:
• Create rhythms, not rigid rules
• Set learning goals collaboratively
• Build in space for exploration and boredom
The point isn’t to fill the child’s day—it’s to stretch their mind.
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🧬 4. Let Them Lead
Every once in a while, switch roles.
Let your child:
• Choose the topic of study
• “Teach” you something they love
• Lead the family in a discussion or project
This reinforces ownership and autonomy.
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❤️ 5. Make Character the Curriculum
The deepest lessons won’t come from books—but from how you live.
Teach Through:
• How you treat people who disagree
• How you handle setbacks and stress
• Whether you live by what you teach
Your child is watching. And they will follow your example far more than your advice.
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💬 Weekly Practice: The Mirror Dialogue
End each week with a brief reflection together:
• What did we learn?
• What challenged us?
• Where did we show courage?
• What do we want to improve?
You’ll be amazed how these moments shape both of you.
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🔔 Closing Statement
You were trained to follow orders.
Your child can be trained to ask questions.
You were taught what to think.
They can be raised to think freely, ethically, and powerfully.
The sovereign mind isn’t born—it’s built.
And now, you have the blueprint.
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📚 References & Source Materials
🎓 History of Education and the Prussian Model
1. Gatto, John Taylor – The Underground History of American Education
• Exposes the design of American schooling and its obedience-based roots.
2. Spring, Joel – Education and the Rise of the Global Economy
• Traces the Prussian influence and global standardization of education.
3. Cremin, Lawrence A. – American Education: The National Experience
• Discusses 19th-century reforms and how American elites shaped schooling.
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💰 Rockefeller and Educational Reform
4. General Education Board Annual Reports (1902–1914) –
• Contains quotes such as:
“In our dreams… people yield themselves with perfect docility to our molding hands.”
5. Frederick T. Gates – Occasional Papers (Rockefeller’s advisor)
• Includes explicit remarks discouraging development of poets, thinkers, or leaders among the general population.
6. Richard O. Boyer – Labor’s Untold Story
• Covers Rockefeller’s involvement in labor control and his role in shaping obedient citizenry via education.
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🧠 Milgram and Obedience Studies
7. Stanley Milgram – Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View
• The original book detailing the experiment, methods, and psychological insights.
8. Philip Zimbardo – The Lucifer Effect
• Expands on obedience and situational psychology, comparing Milgram and the Stanford Prison Experiment.
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🧠 Bonhoeffer’s Theory of Stupidity
9. Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Letters and Papers from Prison
• Contains his reflections on stupidity as a moral issue, including:
“Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice.”
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🤖 Digital Influence & Modern Propaganda
10. Shoshana Zuboff – The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
• Details how tech giants manipulate behavior through algorithmic control.
11. Jaron Lanier – Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
• Discusses the psychological effects of algorithmic environments on users.
12. Tristan Harris / The Social Dilemma (Netflix Documentary)
• Former Google ethicist explaining tech manipulation of attention and opinion.
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👑 Elite Education Models
13. The Paideia Proposal – Mortimer Adler
• A plan for liberal education focused on critical thinking, dialogue, and ethics.
14. Great Books Programs (St. John’s College, Classical Christian Education)
• Emphasis on Socratic method, classical texts, and developing moral/philosophical reasoning.
15. Profiles of elite schools – Websites and mission statements of institutions like:
• Phillips Exeter Academy
• Eton College
• Le Rosey
• The Lyceum (UK-based classical academies)
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