Rights, parents, children, and communities : some educational implications

In this work I wish to address some philosophical difficulties regarding the extension of rights to children. In particular I wish to draw attention to the difference between the freedom rights which are traditionally assigned to rational, autonomous persons and the welfare rights children need if they are to become rational, autonomous persons. These reservations include reservations about the centrality of rationality and autonomy to possession of rights. My thesis is that insofar as various versions of rights apply to children they apply with specific qualifications which derive from the differences between children and adults