Parental vulnerability

Authors

  • Mianna Lotz Department of Philosophy, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5324/eip.v11i1.2246

Keywords:

Parenting, vulnerability, children, childhood, ethics

Abstract

Increasing philosophical attention has recently focused on questions of the nature of vulnerability, and of the implications of recognizing and responding to vulnerability in human agents and subjects. Within that field of interest, explorations and analyses of the specific vulnerability of children have raised many interesting questions regarding the nature of childhood and the vulnerability-responsive obligations of parents. By contrast, there has been no philosophical recognition or discussion of parental vulnerability within the parent-child relationship. In this paper I seek to address that theoretical gap, exploring the distinct ways in which parents are vulnerable qua parents, as well as some of the normative implications that follow from a recognition of that vulnerability. These implications include claims of a vulnerability-based foundation for extensive parental authority over children, and the significant role of expanded social structures and mechanisms to more adequately support the parenting of our children.

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Author Biography

Mianna Lotz, Department of Philosophy, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia



Family Ethics, Etikk i praksis Nr. 1 2017

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Published

2017-05-09

How to Cite

Lotz, M. (2017). Parental vulnerability. Etikk I Praksis - Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics, 11(1), 41 - 60. https://doi.org/10.5324/eip.v11i1.2246

Issue

No. 1 (2017)

Section

Artikler - Articles

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