ABSTRACT
Increasingly, psychologists and others are looking at the family as an important site for moral development. When do people begin to develop a sense of right and wrong, of justice and injustice? When do we form the basic foundations of our moral selves? Much recent research suggests that this happens very early in life. Damon, in The Moral Child (1988), wrote: “Most scholars believe … that the potential for moral-emotional reactions is present at birth” (p. 13). There are “many indications,” he said, “that enduring aspects of character are indeed formed early” (p. 7). And, he related, “By the age of four or five, children can be interviewed about their views on moral standards like sharing and fairness” (p. 35). Accompanying these conclusions is an increasing focus on relationships and particularly families as an important part of the environment in which moral development takes place (e.g., Cowan & Cowan, 1992; Damon, 1988). What is often missing, however, is sustained attention to the moral structure and practices of families themselves. I argue here that so long as families are crucial formative environments of early childhood, they must themselves be regulated by moral principles—including those of justice or fairness. Simple as this principle would appear to be, it is quite unusual in the context of Western political thought.
