ABSTRACT
In the past 30 years, advancements in reproductive technology and the sometimes swift currents of social change have caused much reflection on the ethics of the family. While these advances have brought the joys and challenges of parenthood to many who otherwise might not be able to experience life as parents, they have also created numerous legal and moral dilemmas. One needs a deeper understanding of parenthood and the moral dimensions of the parent-child relationship in both the private and public spheres. This chapter talks about morality and the family, offers an intuitive definition of parenthood, and discusses the moral status of children. Collectivism and absolutism both stand in sharp disagreement with common sense views about the moral dimensions of the parent-child relationship. Other more contemporary philosophical views, while distinct from the collectivism of Plato and the absolutism of Filmer and Hobbes, also contrast sharply with common sense beliefs about the parent-child relationship.
