Parents and Virtues: An Analysis of Moral Development and Parental Virtue

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Even though individual parents face different issues, I believe most parents want their children to be good people who are happy in their adult lives. As such a central motivating question of this book is how can parents raise a child to be a moral and flourishing person. At first glance, we might think this question is better left to psychologists rather than philosophers. I propose that Aristotles ethical theory (known as virtue theory) has much to say on this issue. Aristotle asks how do we become a moral person and how does that relate to leading a good life. In other words, his motivating questions are very similar to the goals parents have for their children. In the first part of this book, I consider what the basic components of Aristotles theory can tell us about the project of parenting. In the second part, I shift my focus to consider some issues that present potential moral dilemmas for parents and whether there are specific parental virtues we may want to use to guide parental actions.

Reviews

In Parents and Virtues, Charles (philosophy and comparative religion, Cleveland State Univ.) provides an engaging look at parental ethics. The book comprises an introduction and six chapters divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the roles parents play in raising children and the second on specific applied ethical dilemmas associated with parenting. The three chapters in the first part apply contemporary, neo-Aristotelian virtue theory to raising children who become good, happy adults. Here the author focuses on how parents can help their children acquire virtue, practical wisdom, and happiness. In contrast, each chapter in the second part focuses on a stand-alone topic in applied ethics. The first of these provides an engaging discussion of the ethics of parental dishonesty, and the second explores questions regarding parental authority and a child's right to an open future. The final chapter focuses on moral questions regarding deciding to become a parent. This book offers positive contributions to contemporary bioethics literature.

Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.-- "Choice Reviews"

Author Bio

Sonya Charles is associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Comparative Religion at Cleveland State University.