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  This week's discussion is really great.
  The question of overarching facts and their place in education, and the role of education in the first place is quite fascinating.  I want to chime in to say that I believe that the role of education is to put children (and anyone being educated) in a position to succeed in the way that he or she wants to succeed.  For a physicist, learning the theories of forces and gravity in Newtonian physics is crucial for a career in classical mechanics.  Yet, learning that it is theory is crucial as well, not only to understand, but to build on current understandings.  For someone who wants to be a historian, learning that many styles of writing can appeal to many people is crucial, as is learning how to write in established styles for the times when it is necessary to get a point across in a succinct way.  Finally, someone who wants to work in construction should learn how buildings are put together in theory, and also have practice doing the building. 
  For each person, education should put them in a position to succeed, and also to feel comfortable choosing a definition of success independently.  The idea of absolute truth is a spectrum, and when we go too far towards convincing ourselves and others that there is absolute truth, we are also inhibiting and impinging on divergent thoughts that continually enrich our lives.