ABSTRACT
Whether children have rights is a debate that in recent years has spilled over into all areas of public life. It has never been more topical than now as the assumed rights of parents over their children is challenged on an almost daily basis. David Archard offers the first serious and sustained philosophical examination of children and their rights.
Archard reviews arguments for and against according children rights. He concludes that every child has at least the right to the best possible upbringing. Denying that parents have any significant rights over their children, he is able to challenge current thinking about the proper roles of state and family in rearing children. Crucially, he considers the problem of how to define and understand `child abuse'.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |12 pages
JOHN LOCKE’S CHILDREN
part |2 pages
Part I CHILDHOOD
chapter |14 pages
THE CONCEPT OF CHILDHOOD
chapter |14 pages
THE MODERN CONCEPTION OF CHILDHOOD
part |2 pages
Part II CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
chapter |13 pages
LIBERATION OR CARETAKING?
chapter |12 pages
ARBITRARINESS AND INCOMPETENCE
chapter |12 pages
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS TO VOTE AND SEXUAL CHOICE
chapter |13 pages
THE WRONGS OF CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
part |2 pages
Part III CHILDREN, PARENTS, FAMILY AND STATE