Parents and Children Lecture

Question 1

why isn’t licensing parents a ridiculous thought?

Answer 1

• children are separate and vulnerable persons
• parental neglect and abuse seriously harms children
• we do already regulate parents (child safety, some health)

Question 2

LaFollette’s argument

Answer 2

• we normally regulate potentially harmful activities when:
  
  • the activity is potentially harmful to others
  • safe performance requires a certain competence
  • we have moderately reliable procedures for deterring that competence
• parenting meets exactly those conditions
• conclusion: we should regulate parenting (license)

Question 3

gaps in LaFollette’s argument

Answer 3

• he assumes we should be regulating what we do already

- he assumes the conditions justify his reasoning (and there are no others)

Question 4

definition of a right

Answer 4

a right to x is a moral claim to be able to do or have x that is so strong that other people have a duty i) to let you do/have x and ii) contribute to protecting you from those who would try to stop you

Question 5

vschoemann’s argument

Answer 5

• relationship which involve deep personal connections constitute one’s roots in life or attachment to living
• such relationships are necessary to give life meaning
• intimate sharing presupposes limited sovereignty over the conditions of the relationship
• so w/o privacy or autonomy the relationship would neither secure nor on the parties own terms
• b/c intimacy is central to the meaning of the family relationship, the state should backoff

Question 6

objection to schoeman’s argument

Answer 6

• adults can get intimate with other adults

- kids can have intimacy by being redistributed to other adults

Question 7

social criteria

Answer 7

• criteria society just happens to adopt

- criteria society adopts b.c there are good moral reasons to adopt them

Question 8

differences with relationships btw kids and relationships will all others

Answer 8

• vulnerability and inequality
• asymmetry in power to exit
• fiduciary responsibilities
• full spontaneous intimacy

Question 9

singer’s main principle

Answer 9

if we can prevent something bad from happening without sacrificing something of comparable moral importance, then we should