The history of the United States is one of the contradictory traditions of human rights and intolerance. Although human rights, diversity, and dissidence are inherent concepts in our constitution and in the Supreme Court system, this tendency has been invariably accompanied by intolerant uses of power. The Salem witchcraft trials, the Alien and Sedition Acts, 19th century immigration laws, and the 20th century McCarthy era are the more obvious expressions of intellectual and cultural intolerance. Present manifestations of this tradition in the realm of education are more subtle. Current attitudes in areas of educational accountability, research, policy making, and instruction give priority to empirical research, knowledge objectification, and deterministic theories of human behavior. In one school district which has contracted with a highly structured and sequenced educational program, teachers are required to sign a three-year contract pledging loyalty to the program; if they do not, they are subject to transfer. These intolerant trends prompt the author to conclude that educational philosophers must exemplify the courage of intellectual inquiry, develop a sense of ethical responsibility within students, and draw attention to the ideological ramifications behind policy decisions. (KC)