ABSTRACT
Children evoke a unique constellation of responses from adult humans, reflecting both biological and cultural processes. Immediately recognizable as members of our species and hence fundamentally similar to ourselves, they are also sharply distinguished from our adult selves by their immature stature, form, and behavior. Their personhood is thus qualified as provisional, liable to change more profoundly in the near future than our own. Conscious of our own developmental histories, we empathize at least implicitly with their desire to be treated as full persons. Yet, their evolving character makes them socially dependent on, and accountable to adults, which places constraints on their range of behavioral possibilities.
