The Implications of Perfectionism

Here, I build on the conception of children’s interests outlined in chapter 3, I show how Nussbaum’s list of valuable goods can be productively extended once the requirement to be neutral about ethics is dropped. I offer a view of flourishing grounded in the importance of interpersonal relationships, of agency and an appreciation of the natural world. I then discuss a few more concrete examples of the kinds of beliefs that will be required by progressive upbringing. These are i) a personal commitment to gender equality) knowledge of controversial scientific and historical truths, iii) an openness to sexual choice and iv) a rejection of consumerism. Taken together, these discussions show why justice for children requires them to be raised in an environment conducive to socially liberal beliefs and values, a view that stands in deep tension with theories of liberalism that apply only to politics, and to the preferences of many parents. I turn to these concerns in the next section.