Last week, the Philosopher’s Zoneprogram on ABC radio discussed the contribution of families to inequalities in the wellbeing of children and therefore in their life opportunities and outcomes. The program philosophically explored the question of whether families should be abolished in order to level the playing field. This was not a serious suggestion, but rather a thought experiment that allows assumptions to be examined, challenged and confirmed or refuted.
A review of the research literature confirms the common wisdom that variation in family and parenting practices play a role in creating unequal wellbeing and outcomes of children. Some families create the conditions that allow children to flourish physically, emotionally and intellectually, while others do not. It is less about family income than the things families and parents do. Ultimately, the discussion on the radio program confirmed the importance of families for the wellbeing of children.
Whether the advantage of a functional loving family is ‘unfair’ and should be equalised are entirely different matters. Is it more important (and fairer) to maximise the quality of life and opportunity for all children, or to try to ensure no child is better off than any other?
When it comes to families, few would suggest the latter is appropriate. Socialists and libertarians alike would be scornful of the notion that parents should not be allowed to read bedtime stories to their children because it confers an unfair advantage over children whose parents don’t read to them.
Yet when it comes to school education, the response is sometimes different. The philosophers on the program argued parents should not be able to make choices that might advantage their children over others, and these choices should be restricted.
The reality is that no matter what families, parents, governments, schools, and other institutions do, there will always be inequality. Natural variation in genes and environments, and the interactions between them, combined with free will and chance, create inevitable differences in opportunities and outcomes. Efforts to help disadvantaged children should be focused on their needs, not limiting the opportunities of others.
Home > Commentary > Opinion > Inequality is inevitable in a free society
Inequality is inevitable in a free society
Last week, the Philosopher’s Zoneprogram on ABC radio discussed the contribution of families to inequalities in the wellbeing of children and therefore in their life opportunities and outcomes. The program philosophically explored the question of whether families should be abolished in order to level the playing field. This was not a serious suggestion, but rather a thought experiment that allows assumptions to be examined, challenged and confirmed or refuted.
A review of the research literature confirms the common wisdom that variation in family and parenting practices play a role in creating unequal wellbeing and outcomes of children. Some families create the conditions that allow children to flourish physically, emotionally and intellectually, while others do not. It is less about family income than the things families and parents do. Ultimately, the discussion on the radio program confirmed the importance of families for the wellbeing of children.
Whether the advantage of a functional loving family is ‘unfair’ and should be equalised are entirely different matters. Is it more important (and fairer) to maximise the quality of life and opportunity for all children, or to try to ensure no child is better off than any other?
When it comes to families, few would suggest the latter is appropriate. Socialists and libertarians alike would be scornful of the notion that parents should not be allowed to read bedtime stories to their children because it confers an unfair advantage over children whose parents don’t read to them.
Yet when it comes to school education, the response is sometimes different. The philosophers on the program argued parents should not be able to make choices that might advantage their children over others, and these choices should be restricted.
The reality is that no matter what families, parents, governments, schools, and other institutions do, there will always be inequality. Natural variation in genes and environments, and the interactions between them, combined with free will and chance, create inevitable differences in opportunities and outcomes. Efforts to help disadvantaged children should be focused on their needs, not limiting the opportunities of others.
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