<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Libertarianism has often found itself under attack from those with misplaced maternal instincts, who champion the state as the honorable protector of the vulnerable – and there is no one more in need of protection than a helpless infant. Consequently, much of the vitriol aimed at libertarianism and its laissez-faire attitude has included morbid references to child abuse and exploitation which would supposedly result from its implementation. It is therefore imperative that more work be done on the topic of children’s rights in order to reinforce the philosophical framework developed by Murray Rothbard [9] and expanded on by Walter Block and others [2], [3], [5], [6]. The purpose of this paper is to provide an independent rational foundation for the conclusions drawn by Block and co-authors [2], [5] and to expand on parts that are insufficient.</p></abstract>

Libertarianism has often found itself under attack from those with misplaced maternal instincts, who champion the state as the honorable protector of the vulnerable – and there is no one more in need of protection than a helpless infant. Consequently, much of the vitriol aimed at libertarianism and its laissez-faire attitude has included morbid references to child abuse and exploitation which would supposedly result from its implementation. It is therefore imperative that more work be done on the topic of children’s rights in order to reinforce the philosophical framework developed by Murray Rothbard [9] and expanded on by Walter Block and others [2], [3], [5], [6]. The purpose of this paper is to provide an independent rational foundation for the conclusions drawn by Block and co-authors [2], [5] and to expand on parts that are insufficient.

A Rational Theory of the Rights of Children

Studia Humana

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"A Rational Theory of the Rights of Children"}

Libertarianism has often found itself under attack from those with misplaced maternal instincts, who champion the state as the honorable protector of the...

A Rational Theory of the Rights of Children

Published Online: Aug 27, 2020

Page range: 45 - 52

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sh-2020-0012

Keywords
anarcho-capitalism, childhood, children’s rights, libertarian, libertarianism, guardianship, non-aggression principle, self-ownership

© 2020 Ian Hersum, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

A Rational Theory of the Rights of Children

Published Online: Aug 27, 2020

Page range: 45 - 52

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sh-2020-0012

Keywordsanarcho-capitalism, childhood, children’s rights, libertarian, libertarianism, guardianship, non-aggression principle, self-ownership

© 2020 Ian Hersum, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
anarcho-capitalism, childhood, children’s rights, libertarian, libertarianism, guardianship, non-aggression principle, self-ownership