mohammed alqarni
Traditional Values or Changes Perspectives
Traditional values and norms are always important within the society where parents form an important part of the children’s responsibilities as they grow old. However, now there are changes opinions and circumstances within the society leading to changes perspectives about the role and duties of children towards their parents as they grow old. “What Do Grown Children Owe Their Parents?”, Jane English goes against traditional values by arguing that grown children have duties to their parents only if they are on friendly terms with them—and even then duties to parents are not stronger than duties to friends. On the other hand, Christina Hoff Sommers mounts a defense of traditional values.
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English is of the opinion in her work “What do Grown Children Own their Parents? That there are things “…that children ought to do for their parents, but they do not owe them things.” She is in favor of friendship bonding more than the parental duties because she believes that “…friendship is characterized by mutuality rather than reciprocity: friends offer what they can give and accept what they need…” (English, 1992, p. 758) The major point being made in the objection is that there are unrequested sacrificed made by the friends and these do not even create the debt and friends also have duties which are regardless of whether they have requested them or initiated the given friendship. This makes the relationship of friendship to be superior and also is not characterized by favors which are found in the parent’s …show more content…
However, on the moral grounds, this becomes the most important duty for the children on the moral grounds to at least pay a little to the efforts and hardships of their parents by helping and easing them when they grow old. The objective does not seems to be persuasive because it considers the friendship bond on the basis of favors and friends are made when individuals are adults; not helpless children. When they are kids, then their parents are with them, not their friends. Sommers believe that the traditional family values are being weakened because of the underlying issues created by the philosophers who are against the traditional values. Sommers has made use of the “special duties” that are the “duties not voluntarily assumed that devolve on specific individuals, such as kinship” (Sommers, 1993). The duties of kinship however help to form the traditional set up of moral values and individuals are able to be more responsible towards their duties in the long