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Having Children: A Dialogue
Having a child is a big decision. This short dialogue is an examination of that decision. It looks at the effects and ethical implications of choosing to have children or not through three levels of evaluation: the child's, the parents', and the world's benefits and costs.
It does not find one right answer or even a best option among the many perspectives examined, but rather attempts to make all the variables clearly understood so that a person can make a deliberate choice with all the options in mind.
It does not find one right answer or even a best option among the many perspectives examined, but rather attempts to make all the variables clearly understood so that a person can make a deliberate choice with all the options in mind.
23 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 23, 2016
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About the author
Kyle Fitzgibbons
4 books7 followersKyle Fitzgibbons is a writer, teacher, and traveler. He is the author of two best selling books in the fields of literacy, linguistics, and non-formal education. His titles include "Language, Learning, and Life" and "Reading 100 Books in a Year".
He has taught in schools at all academic levels, including two years in South Korea where he taught in a public middle and a private elementary school. He has since returned to California where he has taught at both the university and community college levels.
Fitzgibbons' is a graduate of USD where he earned an M.Ed. in TESOL, Literacy, and Culture. He also holds undergraduate degrees in economics and mathematics from CSUCI. He lives in San Diego, CA with his newly wed wife.
He has taught in schools at all academic levels, including two years in South Korea where he taught in a public middle and a private elementary school. He has since returned to California where he has taught at both the university and community college levels.
Fitzgibbons' is a graduate of USD where he earned an M.Ed. in TESOL, Literacy, and Culture. He also holds undergraduate degrees in economics and mathematics from CSUCI. He lives in San Diego, CA with his newly wed wife.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 1, 2019
In this very short and superficial read Fitzgibbons trots out the hackneyed reasons for not having children of one's own, some of which were all through the web recently, and throws them out as bait which Stein naively accepts. Stein has a platform that seems to have some basis for making a better world, but rather than engaging in dialogue that confronts Fitzgibbons' obvious assumptions and unsubstantiated conclusions, offers no challenge and simply rolls over.
I found this terribly frustrating and angering as it denies there is anything more to the world than we (they) already know (maybe if they were parents, for example, they might not characterise babies are objects), a belief that is perpetually being shown to be wrong.
I can see how this text might sway anyone who doesn't want to think about the issues of having children and simply wants to be told that its bad to do so. It might also appeal as a justification for those who want to acquire maximal material wealth. For all we know, this might be the ultimate intent of the authors. After all, the annual carbon footprint of having a baby is a lot of flights for these self professed travellers. Somewhere around nine return flights between New York and Singapore a year.
I'd give it a 1 but it might prove to be a starting point for those who are beginning to look at this question. Make sure that you look at alternative texts, especially those that consider the question of bearing and raising children from a less individualistic and predictable perspective. This is a serious question and deserves to be treated so.
I found this terribly frustrating and angering as it denies there is anything more to the world than we (they) already know (maybe if they were parents, for example, they might not characterise babies are objects), a belief that is perpetually being shown to be wrong.
I can see how this text might sway anyone who doesn't want to think about the issues of having children and simply wants to be told that its bad to do so. It might also appeal as a justification for those who want to acquire maximal material wealth. For all we know, this might be the ultimate intent of the authors. After all, the annual carbon footprint of having a baby is a lot of flights for these self professed travellers. Somewhere around nine return flights between New York and Singapore a year.
I'd give it a 1 but it might prove to be a starting point for those who are beginning to look at this question. Make sure that you look at alternative texts, especially those that consider the question of bearing and raising children from a less individualistic and predictable perspective. This is a serious question and deserves to be treated so.
Displaying 1 of 1 review