To whom do children belong? : parental rights, civic education and children's autonomy / Melissa Moschella.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Moschella, Melissa, 1979- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Education--Parent participation--United States.

Education.

Parent and child (Law)--United States.

Parent and child (Law).

Children's rights--United States.

Children's rights.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 198 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

New York : Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Most people believe that parents have rights to direct their children's education and upbringing. But why? What grounds those rights? How broad is their scope? Can we defend parental rights against those who believe we need more extensive state educational control to protect children's autonomy or prepare them for citizenship in a diverse society? Amid heated debates over issues like sexual education, diversity education and vouchers, Moschella cuts to the heart of the matter, explaining why education is primarily the responsibility of parents, not the state. Rigorously argued yet broadly accessible, the book offers a principled case for expanding school choice and granting exemptions when educational programs or regulations threaten parents' ability to raise their children in line with their values. Philosophical argument is complemented with psychological and social scientific research showing that robust parental rights' protections are crucial for the well-being of parents, children and society as a whole.

Contents:

Cover; Half-title ; Title page ; Copyright information ; Dedication ; Table of contents ; Acknowledgments ; Introduction ; Foundational premises ; Theory of value and normative ethics ; Obligation ; Rights ; Authority

1 Parent-child bonds, special obligations and parental authority Why not raise children communally? ; Insights from Aquinas and Aristotle ; Personal relationships and special obligations ; The biological parent-child relationship as a source of non-transferable obligations

Parental obligations as personal obligations to raise one's children Conclusion ; 2 Parental rights as conscience rights ; The right to integrity ; Integrity and parental rights ; Rights as spheres of authority ; Scope and limits of parental rights

Parental authority over moral and religious education The family as analogous to a sovereign state ; When should the state intervene? ; A counterargument ; Conclusion ; 3 Parental rights and education for liberal democratic citizenship

Three arguments for mandatory Rawlsian civic education Stephen Macedo's civic liberalism ; Eamonn Callan on creating citizens ; Amy Gutmann on education for conscious social reproduction ; Liberalism and the protection of diversity ; The requirements of citizenship

Public reason and liberal legitimacy

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 06 Jun 2016).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-316-65223-8

1-316-65247-5

1-316-65251-3

1-316-65255-6

1-316-65259-9

1-316-65275-0

1-316-58432-1