The Moral and Political Status of Children

by Archard, David; Macleod, Colin M.

• ISBN13: 9780199242689
• ISBN10: 0199242682
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-11-07
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The book contains contributions from thirteen distinguished moral and political philosophers on the subject of children. These are new essays and are devoted to a subject that until recently has not been extensively discussed by philosophers. Too often philosophers restrict themselves to the consideration only of the relations between adults. Yet the topic of children is an important one for moral and political philosophy. Recent years have seen an increased concern with the needs and interests of young people. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which accords a wide range of fundamental rights to children was adopted in 1989 and many states, including the United States and the UK, have subsequently ratified the Convention.

Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors	vii
Introduction	1	(18)
David Archard
Colin M. Macleod
I. Children and Rights
Do Children Have Rights?	19	(12)
James Griffin
What Rights (if any) do Children Have?	31	(22)
Harry Brighouse
Children's Choices or Children's Interests: Which do their Rights Protect?	53	(17)
Samantha Brennan
Becoming versus Being: A Critical Analysis of the Child in Liberal Theory	70	(27)
Barbara Arneil
II. Autonomy and Education
Special Agents: Children's Autonomy and Parental Authority	97	(21)
Robert Noggle
Autonomy, Child-Rearing, and Good Lives	118	(24)
Eamonn Callan
Children, Multiculturalism, and Education	142	(18)
David Archard
Answering Susan: Liberalism, Civic Education, and the Status of Younger Persons	160	(23)
Joe Coleman
III. Children, Families, and Justice
Silver Spoons and Golden Genes: Talent Differentials and Distributive Justice	183	(12)
Hillel Steiner
Equality and the Duties of Procreators	195	(17)
Peter Vallentyne
Liberal Equality and the Affective Family	212	(19)
Colin M. Macleod
What Children Really Need: Towards a Critical Theory of Family Structure	231	(22)
Shelley Burtt
Family, Choice, and Distributive Justice	253	(20)
Veronique Munoz-Darde
Further Reading	273	(3)
References	276	(13)
Index	289