Posted on 05/05/2015 3:37:16 PM PDT by naturalman1975
So many disputes in our liberal democratic society hinge on the tension between inequality and fairness: between groups, between sexes, between individuals, and increasingly between families.
The power of the family to tilt equality hasn’t gone unnoticed, and academics and public commentators have been blowing the whistle for some time. Now, philosophers Adam Swift and Harry Brighouse have felt compelled to conduct a cool reassessment.
Swift in particular has been conflicted for some time over the curious situation that arises when a parent wants to do the best for her child but in the process makes the playing field for others even more lopsided.
‘I got interested in this question because I was interested in equality of opportunity,’ he says.
‘I had done some work on social mobility and the evidence is overwhelmingly that the reason why children born to different families have very different chances in life is because of what happens in those families.’
Once he got thinking, Swift could see that the issue stretches well beyond the fact that some families can afford private schooling, nannies, tutors, and houses in good suburbs. Functional family interactions—from going to the cricket to reading bedtime stories—form a largely unseen but palpable fault line between families. The consequence is a gap in social mobility and equality that can last for generations.
So, what to do?
According to Swift, from a purely instrumental position the answer is straightforward.
‘One way philosophers might think about solving the social justice problem would be by simply abolishing the family. If the family is this source of unfairness in society then it looks plausible to think that if we abolished the family there would be a more level playing field.’
(Excerpt) Read more at abc.net.au ...
What do they want to do about that?
Wow, The Left in Australia is even more radical and out there than The Left over here. Who’s have thought?
Heard this on Rush today...
This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!!!!!!!!!!
You mean that wasn’t parody?
Equality of misery seems to be their ideal.
No...It is the truth...
Rush said next they will say that “good” parents feed their children so well, it is unfair...
Abolish normalcy!
Re: “‘One way philosophers might think about solving the social justice problem would be by simply abolishing the family. If the family is this source of unfairness in society then it looks plausible to think that if we abolished the family there would be a more level playing field.’”
Just wow.
Just remember what these libs said.
And who said it.
They will pay dearly following CW-II.
And we aren’t talkin’ money.
In Liberal-world, achievement = privilege.
It’s a fair advantage. It’s a choice.
How are these people,liberals, in charge?
This is nothing new. Way back Phil Donahue had a guest “psychologist” claim that a child that is being raised by a functional two parent family (mother and father) is abused and psychologically damaged.
The authors are truly poor philosophers. I can disadvantage the authors by chopping off their feet, but that doesn’t mean I have given anything to those with two feet. In the same way, when I read to my child, I don’t do anything to disadvantage another’s child.
What I believe they are saying is that they think it to be unfair for anyone to be treated better than the worst-treated member of society. Even the Soviets didn’t believe that.
I was also going to say this is nothing new for the Left. They have long dreamed of taking all children from their parents to be raised full time in state indoctrination centers.
This is why they push so hard for early childhood care, feeding children in the schools, etc. These are just half measures on the way to their utopian future.
Well I can say something baout this article...from expereince...
My dad died when I was just four....Four kids my mom wasn’t the smartest rock in the box but she made sure we had food and roof over our head, despite the many jobs and hours she had to work to attain that. We were raised in a house that you had snow on the floor in your bedroom during a hard storm. ..... All four of us turned out very well in that we became contributing citizens to this country and successful in our choice of work.
My Uncle, who was quite well to do, lived in the heights of the community where they lived, and well known in the city and various other venues there....he and his wife raised two children...He said more than once he could not understand why we came out so good, no father figure and lived so poorly....but that his kids came out loosers...and they were.
Certified insanity.
Gives a lot of credence to the whole “shrinks are really crazy themselves” thing, doesn’t it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.