Parenting on Earth: A Philosopher's Guide to Doing Right by Your Kids and Everyone Else

by Elizabeth Cripps

Being parents and being human: building hope for our children in a fragile world.

Environmental catastrophes, pandemics, antibiotic resistance, institutionalized injustice, and war: in a world so out of balance, what does it take--or even mean--to be a good parent? This book is one woman's search for an answer, as a moral philosopher, activist, and mother.

Drawing on the insights of philosophy and the experience of parent activists, Elizabeth Cripps calls for parents to think radically about exactly what we owe our children--and everyone else. She shows how our children's needs are inseparable from the fate of the earth and the fortunes of others and how much is at stake in parenting today. And she asks the hardest question: should we have kids at all?

Timely and thoughtful, Parenting on Earth extends a challenge to anyone raising children in a troubled world--and with it, a vision of hope for our children's future. Cripps envisions a world where kids can prosper and grow--a just world, with thriving social systems and ecosystems, where future generations can flourish and all children can lead a decent life. She explains, with bracing clarity, why those raising kids today should be a force for change and bring up their children to do the same. Hard as this can be, in the face of political gridlock, ecoanxiety, and general daily grind, the tools of philosophy and psychology can help us find a way.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Philosophy

280 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Catarina Fêo e Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bit of a punch to the face.
But in a very good way!

If, like me, you have kids, your life is constantly filled with doubts about what is best for them: from food, to schools, to toys, what to read, what school/style of education, how to manage tantrums, sleep, screens.
It is never ending.

This book does not offer a solution.
And, again, that is a very good thing!

It makes you think about things related to parenting and to the problems facing our world in ways you probably haven't thought of before.
I guess, the one strong conclusion I got from reading this is that sometimes, what is best for your children, might not be the best for the world that surrounds us, and you should be prepared to make tough decisions.
This book might help you make those decisions, so go read it!

[celia · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

philosopher's guide more like the personal experience of a western white woman

[Drew K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book in a Goodread's giveaway, but my opinions are my own! I also wouldn't enter to win a book I wasn't genuinely interested in.

This is a tough book to get through because it addresses the reality of living in a world on the brink of climate catastrophe. And not just that, but (for most readers) living in a part of the world that is sacrificing the environmental viability of other, less wealthy parts of the world in favor of owning nice things and having a convenient life. That's all really tough to read about, but we have a responsibility to face the facts, even if they're tough.

I am not a parent, but I wanted to read this book because I'm one of those people the author discussed, who feels uncertainty and some guilt about becoming a parent in today's world. Honestly, this book was reassuring because it addresses the fact that change is possible, even if it may be slow or difficult.

My favorite part about this book was how accessible and personal it felt. It wasn't boring and overly academic - I think anyone could read and benefit from this book.

My only disclaimer is that it does discuss the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the possibility of future pandemics, so anyone who is still sensitive about the pandemic might want to hold off.

[Bernardo Ercoli · Rating 2 out of 5]

PRO:
-the idea is cool: what are the moral implications and practical consequences of making babies in a world with wars, climate change, no-longer-working antibiotica etc

CON:
-sometimes it is not that easy to get what she wants to say
-one of the answers is: creating a new human being means the responsibility is up to them. Up to them to make a better world and no longer yours to create a safe bubble where they can live. I am not satisfied with this answer. Yes, she also says that you have to become an activist yourself but solving the big problems is more complicated than this...
-one of the suggestion about climate change is make a child less than the amount you initially wanted. Again, easy fix for a big problem. This is a book for the western world (she always says that we, readers, are full of privilege...) so we already do few children
-lots of ideologies: she always writes "you will need time to accept this and that", referring to not to eat meat but also to other ideas - i dislike this attitude, like what she says is the truth and we only have to accept it.
-she is proud that her daughters yell randomly the slogan "what do we want? climate justice / when do we want it? now". I really doubt that they know what it means. The author also stopped with her brainwash with her children when her 4yo daughter told the father that for christmas she wanted the death of a republican senator.
-she suggests that all the actions we do in favor of climate change are because this help the cause. True, but this is not that relevant. We do it to become coherent with our thought, but this part has not been evaluated at all...

[Parissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read! It was really nice to read an "advice" book written in a context and format that I was really familiar with, having a background in philosophy. There is just nothing more satisfying than the way a philosophical framework can so cleanly and concisely organize an argument. But more interestingly, the argument she proposes ends up being about something I wasn't anticipating, one that I hadn't really considered in my mission to figure out whether or not I really want children. And it's that in the many responsibilities you take on when you decide to have a child, it's the responsibility to create a world that they can enjoy, one that looks at least as good as if not better than the world that you enjoyed when you were a child. In becoming a parent you are now responsible for your child's health and wellbeing and that inherently includes the health and wellbeing of the planet and the society that they live in.
It was very refreshing to hear that point of view and it really gave me a lot to consider. Although this book is written by a philosopher, it found the perfect balance of using philosophy to create a rational argument, but not being so full of itself that it becomes unintelligible to the average person who has never taken a course in philosophy in their life.
Overall, this book didn't change me as a person, but it was an interesting and thought provoking read, that didn't give me a headache or a guilt trip. Would recommend to anyone thinking of becoming a parent, interested in climate justice, or both!

[Sakura-Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I won this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest opinion.

I feel terrible for taking this long to leave a proper review but it's better late than never! I received an advanced unedited proof copy, so my review is based on the unedited proof which appears to be shorter than the official current copy. I signed up for this giveaway out of curiosity, I'm not a parent and I do not plan to be a parent anytime soon, but I was drawn to this book due to the fact that I was curious about how the author was using philosophy to explore the complexities of parenthood. I'm new to the philosophy nonfiction book world so I'm still testing the waters to find philosophical topics that resonate with me the most. With that said, this book was interesting, but it didn't grab my attention as much as I would have hoped. Don't let my review stop you from reading this book! I'm pretty sure a parent would relate to this book more so than I am currently able to. I admire the heart that the author put into this book!!!

Thank you for this giveaway opportunity!!!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smart (and timely) read for me as I gear up to welcome my second child. Elizabeth Cripps' philosophy is that to "do right" by your child, you have to be doing right by the broader world at the same time. One of many quotes I highlighted: "Our kids are no more self-isolated beings than we are. They have their own interests, ambitions and dreams, but they flourish also in relation to other people, places, even species. How well their lives go depends more than their own well-being." This clashes with a lot of the typical American parenting today that centers on self care and individual happiness over everything, so I found it pretty thought provoking and insightful! 4 stars.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book put all of the philosophical climate change worries bouncing around in my head into more articulate words than I am able to form. While nice to know I'm not the only person wrestling with these ideas, it was not necessarily comforting. Written by a moral philosopher, grappling with the idea of what it means to be a parent, living a relatively comfortable life, in this messed up world. This book will make you very uncomfortable and likely further increase whatever your current level of climate anxiety is. Climate change is a collective problem they requires systemic changes, not just individual changes. Maybe if every person read this book, real change could actually happen.

[Peter Fussy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não basta ser pai, é preciso querer mudar o mundo... Embora necessário, este livro é muito mais sobre como ser um ativista do que sobre parentalidade em si. Mas explica bem porque é necessário ser ativista e cuidador ao mesmo tempo.

[Victor Oanca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice inspiring book about the future of our children. Nice, easy read