1. Objectifs

Intentions :
L’auteur aborde la notion de droits des enfants par l’entremise de l’approche des capacités de la théoricienne américaine Martha Nussbaum (philosophe et spécialiste des questions d’éthique).

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
Données documentaires diverses

Type de traitement des données :
Réflexion critique

3. Résumé

«First, Nussbaum’s theory is shaped by an anthropology in which one’s capacity to strive for self-determining agency in the face of worldly contingencies is a vital sign of his or her humanity. Second, Nussbaum’s theory poses a challenge to the emphasis that the international human rights movement has consistently placed on the family since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This dissertation argues that prioritizing agency over vulnerability in the manner Nussbaum’s capabilities approach advocates will complicate the task of demonstrating respect for children’s full humanity. The rights discourse that has unfolded over the last seven decades suggests that human flourishing at childhood is not easily disentangled from the relationship that exists between children and their parents (and biogenetic kin relations). Furthermore, Nussbaum has not critically engaged alternative models of children’s rights, like Don Browning’s integrationist theory, that take seriously the impact of familial connections in the early and important stages of development. Finally, Nussbaum’s theory of social justice fails to satisfactorily account for either the fragility of human agency or the goodness of human vulnerability. Demonstrating respect for the full humanity of children means placing their concrete and particular experience of vulnerability at the center of discourse on their rights.» (p. v)