Filial duties

Diane Jeske

doi:10.4324/9781351055987-22

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Book chapter

Filial duties

Diane Jeske

The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Childhood and Children, pp.236-245

Routledge, 1

2019

DOI: 10.4324/9781351055987-22

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Abstract

Most people accept the claim that adult children have special obligations to their parents. Accounts of such obligations are either deflationary or non-deflationary: either the obligations are grounded on (i) some feature essential to the parent–child relationship that is not present in any other type of relationship, or on (ii) a feature of the parent–child relationship that may be present in other types of relationships and need not present in all parent–child relationships. The three most plausible accounts of filial duties – the gratitude account, the friendship account, and the special goods account – are all deflationary accounts. Applying these theories to the example of a father–daughter relationship in the film Music Box illustrates how the particularities of any particular parent–child relationship will determine whether, and to what extent, filial duties are present. It also reveals how complex the moral situation can be when filial duties conflict with more general moral duties. Most people have a deeply felt sense that adult children have unique and particularly strong moral obligations to their parents. Recently, a 20-year-old follower of ISIS publicly executed his own mother because she had tried to convince him to flee with her to a safer place. This chapter explains what one needs to do in order to offer an adequate account of filial duties, and distinguishes between two types of such accounts: the deflationary and the non-deflationary. It presents three of the most prominent and plausible accounts of filial duties: the gratitude account, the friendship account, and the special goods account. The chapter then applies these theories to an example from the film Music Box that illustrates in a very stark and dramatic manner the moral complexities raised by the peculiar nature of our relationships to our parents.

Strong Moral Obligations

Friendship Account

Worse Moral Character

Father Daughter Relationship

Deflationary Accounts

Custodial Role

General Moral Duties

Natural Duties

Mutual Provision

Adult Children

Special Obligations

Film Music Box

Custodial Account

Custodial Parents

Legitimate Expectations

Ann’s Brother

Deflationary View

Spilled Blood

Custodial Responsibilities

Moral Beings

Parent Child Relationship

Filial Duties

Biological Gift

Justice Department Prosecutor

Special Goods

Details

Title: Subtitle: Filial duties
Creators: Diane Jeske - University of Iowa, Philosophy
Resource Type: Book chapter
Publication Details: The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Childhood and Children, pp.236-245
Edition: 1
Publisher: Routledge
DOI: 10.4324/9781351055987-22
Alternative title: Filial duties
Language: English
Date published: 2019
Academic Unit: Philosophy
Record Identifier: 9984397939202771

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