STEPHEN Macedo’s new book on liberalism and education is tremendous for its historical scope, philosophical seriousness, and keen attention to present-day political questions. “The core claim of this book,” Macedo writes, “is that diversity needs to be kept in its place.” A just order, he says, cannot be taken for granted; democratic society requires a common political culture. In Diversity and Distrust: Civic Education in a Multicultural Democracy, Macedo looks in particular to the schools as the key institution for the inculcation and development of essential "civic virtues."