In Britain, and across the world, the traditional secondary school curriculum of discrete academic subjects has long been under fire. What are the rights and wrongs here? How far does an investigation of its origins throw light on the topic? In telling the remarkable story of its development from 1550 to our times, this book describes the shifting motivations - religious, professional, status-orientated, bureaucratic - that have accompanied its rise to world dominance. This historical account does little to allay the widespread doubts about the adequacy of this curriculum. The later parts of the book discuss these doubts from a philosophical perspective and outline a radical alternative to traditional thinking.