Commentary: Luigi Mangione, and the Tabula Rasa

Luigi Mangione, the accused assassin of the UnitedHealth CEO, had one of the finest educations available to any man. The scion of a wealthy family, he attended an elite prep school in Maryland from the sixth grade through high school, was the valedictorian of his graduating class, then went on to an Ivy League education at the University of Pennsylvania, earning both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Engineering.

Combined with the immense advantages associated with family wealth, few individuals begin life with such bright future prospects. Yet something was lacking, as became abundantly clear when he was handcuffed while eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, PA, and led away to jail.

The Founding Fathers were firm believers in the contributions of education to society. John Locke, a political philosopher whose thoughts are replete in both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, believed that each man was born with a tabula rasa, a blank slate that the society could write upon, forming the character of the man for the good of both the individual and the society.