Lexington Books
Pages: 190
•
Trim: 6½ x 9¾
978-0-7391-8387-8 • Hardback • February 2015 • $114.00 • (£88.00)
978-1-4985-1237-4 • Paperback • March 2017 • $55.99 • (£43.00)
978-0-7391-8388-5 • eBook • February 2015 • $53.00 • (£41.00)
Mark C. Vopat teaches philosophy at Youngstown State University.
1Children and Childhood
2Rawlsian Foundations
3A Contractarian Approach to Children’s Rights
4Parental Rights
5Religion and Education
6Freedom of Expression and School Uniforms
7Innate Talent, Magnet Schools, and Justice
8Parent Licensing
9A Global Perspective on Children’s Rights
10Children and Sexuality
One need not agree with Vopat's Rawlsian perspective to appreciate his distinction between parental rights and parental privileges, or his thoughtful discussion of particular moral issues connected to children's interests. His analysis of matters both philosophical and empirical raised by mandatory school uniforms and sexual education is a particularly welcome addition to these debates.
— Amy Mullin, University of Toronto Mississauga
In recent years, more philosophers are finally turning their attention to the moral dimensions of the family. Mark Vopat offers an interesting contractarian perspective on the obligations of parents, the rights of children, and the role of the state regarding family life. The implications of his view for relatively neglected issues in practical family ethics will be of particular interest to scholars and practitioners working on moral and legal issues related to the family.
— Michael Austin, Eastern Kentucky University
Vopat's book is a clearly written, groundbreaking work on children's rights. The first half of the book offers a compelling Rawlsian inspired contractarian approach to children's rights. Through the lens of his contractarian approach, which beautifully weaves together considerations of children, parents, and the state, Vopat argues that parents lack a right to parent per se and that instead they have a responsibility to their children. The turn from parental rights to parental responsibility will be a provocative thesis to some and an inquisitive one to all. It is instead, children, that have rights within Vopat's framework of the parent child relationship. The second half of Vopat's book puts his theory to work by examining a number of applied cases concerning: parental licensing, education generally and as it applies to religion and sexuality, and mandatory school uniforms. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a clear, robust, enjoyable, and thought-provoking account of children's rights.
— Eric Roark, Millikin University