Philosophy Department's 2024/25 Speaker Series is happy to have Dr. Brynn Welch come for a talk January 31, 2025. Brynn is a Professor of Philosophy for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her areas of research and teaching are Applied Ethics, &  Social/Political Philosophy. 

Title: "Is There Such a Thing as a Good Parent?" 

Abstract: In this talk, I raise the question of whether the project of parenthood is morally defensible. Much of what we do - from becoming parents to child-rearing to our relationships with our grown children - threatens serious harm to others. Although some of these harms may be mitigated by various policy changes such as licensing programs and shifts in our approach to K-12 education, many cannot. Moreover, common defenses of parenthood fail to take seriously the child's status as a person with rights. What does this mean for the project of parenthood itself? Is it morally bankrupt, or is there such a thing as a good parent?