An Outline of the Debate on Moral Equality; 1 Introduction; Moral Adultism; Addressing Children and Adults Alike; Autonomy and Trust; The Child as Moral Agent; The Outline of the Book; A Global Perspective; Philosophy of Change; Acknowledgments; References; 2 The Debate About Moral Equality; The Stewardship Model; Education and the Moral Self; Adultism; Child Rights; Welfare Rights; Agency Rights; Conceptions of Parenthood; Conclusion; References; The Theoretical Framework of a Moral-Equality Approach; 3 Natality; Radical Openness and Radical Determination

Natality and the Concept of ParenthoodThe Ethics of Parenthood; Parental Trustworthiness and the Concept of Care; The Essence of Parenthood; Conclusion; References; 4 Trust; Child Trust; Trust as Moral Practice; Vulnerability; Conclusion; References; 5 Family; The Family in Post-traditional Societies; Trust as the Moral Basis of Family Relationships; Family Privacy; The Collective Dimension of Trust; Family Privacy and Child Abuse; Conclusion; References; 6 Autonomy; Practical and Theoretical Inconsistencies of Current Approaches; Action Autonomy; Personal Autonomy; Autonomy's Vicious Circle

A Concept of Child AutonomyConclusion; References; A Moral-Equality Approach to Childhood and Other Situations of Dependency; 7 The Dialectic of Trust and Autonomy; Dialectics; The Child as Moral Agent; The Dialectical Relation of Trust and Autonomy in Moral Agency; How to Enhance Trust; Respect for Autonomy; Moral Equality; Conclusion; References; 8 Basic Concepts for Clinical Practice; The Principle of Safeguarding Trust; The Principle of Respect for Autonomy; A Revised Best-Interest Standard; Neglect and Abuse; Paternalism; Conclusions; References; Index