Procreative-parenting, love's reasons and the demands of morality

Open Access
Authors
Publication date 01-2018
Journal Philosophical Quarterly
Volume | Issue number 68 | 270
Pages (from-to) 77-97
Organisations
  • Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) - Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR)
Abstract
Many philosophers believe that the relationship between a parent and a child is valuable, but few believe that this has anything to do with procreation. However, if it is indeed true that procreation adds no value to the activity of parenting, then it is hard to see how procreative-parenting can overcome two particularly pressing philosophical challenges. The first challenge is to show that it is morally permissible for prospective parents to procreate given that adoption takes us much closer to both environmental and social justice. The second challenge is to show that it is morally permissible for biological parents to parent their biological child when other prospective parents are willing and able to do a much better job at furthering the child's interests. In this essay, I provide an account of the value of procreative-parenting that can resist these two challenges.
Document type Article
Language English
Published at
https://doi.org/10.1093/pq/pqx022 (Final published version)
Downloads
Procreative-Parenting PQ (Submitted manuscript)
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