MODULE 2: Childhood Illbeing (1)

Practice essay--will discuss on Friday

• need to work on "situate" and "contrast"

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Module 2 -- Childhood

• Obviously necessary and instrumentally good
• But is this period of life itself good, bad, neutral, or what?

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Last time: a positive view of childhood

• Alison Gopnik, The Philosophical Baby
• Babies are conscious of more (lantern)
• Adults decide what to focus on (spotlight), so are conscious of less 
• When we're conscious of more it's wonderful (Gopnik: e.g. travel)
• So babyhood is a special time--they're the butterflies, we're the boring caterpillars

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Today & Friday: a negative view of childhood

Sarah Hannan, "Why Childhood is Bad for Children" (2018)

But we first need look at some ideas that Hannan is responding to

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Objective list theory--

• many potential contributors to wellbeing
• Kagan: pleasure, accomplishment, self-knowledge, loving relationships, etc.
• Finnis: knowledge, religion, practical rationality, aesthetic experience, play, friendship, life
• same yardstick throughout life (so, a stage-neutral view)

Objective list theory seems to lead to a negative view of childhood

A. OBJECTIVE LIST VIEW OF CHILDHOOD
Each color in the cups represents a good.
During childhood your cup was half full!

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But some philosophers have proposed an enhanced list of goods

6-10 are called "goods of childhood" 

1. They're especially available during childhood
2. Tend to disappear in adulthood
3. But pertain to all of life (one yardstick)

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Goodbye negative view of childhood! 

B. OBJECTIVE LIST VIEW OF CHILDHOOD (ENHANCED LIST)
Each color in the cups represents a good.
During childhood your cup was full

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Sarah Hannan -- 

• "Why Childhood is Bad for Children"
• She is attacking picture B
• She favors picture A

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Overview of article 

Section 1: Introduction -- the question, why it matters

• answer is relevant to
• whether we prolong childhood
• how we raise children

Section 2: What is a child and what does it mean to ask if childhood is good for children?

• two questions you could ask about a particular child


• is being a child good for the child?
• did good things happen during childhood?

Section 3: Discusses the "goods of childhood" defense of childhood

1. sexual innocence
2. loving and trusting without reservation
3. carefreeness
4. play and imagination
5. openness to the future

Section 4: Discusses some bads of childhood (next time)

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Section 3: The alleged goods of childhood

(we will read some passages and discuss)

1. sexual innocence -- not good for children...why not?
2. loving and trusting without reservation -- not good for children...why not?
3. carefreeness -- not good for children...why not?
4. play and imagination -- not at all exclusive to children
5. openness to the future -- good, more common in children, outweighed by bad