Bristol University Press
1 The Aims of a Moral Theory
Abstract
The chapter defends the use of ideal theory, and that moral theory should rely on insights from the social sciences. An ideal theory is one that assumes away some political constraints, while the resulting model is unrealistic it plays a vital evaluative function. The conclusions of the social sciences matter in virtue of concepts like wellbeing, which are partly empirical.
Abstract
The chapter defends the use of ideal theory, and that moral theory should rely on insights from the social sciences. An ideal theory is one that assumes away some political constraints, while the resulting model is unrealistic it plays a vital evaluative function. The conclusions of the social sciences matter in virtue of concepts like wellbeing, which are partly empirical.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- Introduction vii
-
Children and Moral Theory
- The Aims of a Moral Theory 3
- What is a Child? 9
-
A Distributive Theory for Children
- The Currency of Children’s Justice 17
- Welfare across the Lifespan 31
- Priority, Not Equality, of Welfare 43
-
Perfectionism and Upbringing
- The Case against Neutrality 55
- Understanding Perfectionism 67
- The Implications of Perfectionism 79
-
The Rights and Duties of Parents
- The Project View of Parenting 97
- Distributing Parental Duties 111
- Perfectionism and Parenting 123
- Beyond Parents: Collective Duties to Children 135
-
Distributive Implications
- Children’s Distributive Outcomes: Equality of Opportunity? 149
- Paying for Childcare 159
- Conclusion 171
- Bibliography 175
- Index 187
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- Introduction vii
-
Children and Moral Theory
- The Aims of a Moral Theory 3
- What is a Child? 9
-
A Distributive Theory for Children
- The Currency of Children’s Justice 17
- Welfare across the Lifespan 31
- Priority, Not Equality, of Welfare 43
-
Perfectionism and Upbringing
- The Case against Neutrality 55
- Understanding Perfectionism 67
- The Implications of Perfectionism 79
-
The Rights and Duties of Parents
- The Project View of Parenting 97
- Distributing Parental Duties 111
- Perfectionism and Parenting 123
- Beyond Parents: Collective Duties to Children 135
-
Distributive Implications
- Children’s Distributive Outcomes: Equality of Opportunity? 149
- Paying for Childcare 159
- Conclusion 171
- Bibliography 175
- Index 187
