The Well-Being of Children

Tatjana Višak

2 Does Welfare Trump Freedom? A Normative Evaluation of Contextualism about how to Promote Welfare

2.1 Introduction

Many of us in our various roles – perhaps as parents, citizens, consumers, teachers or politicians – want children to be well off and are prepared to act in ways that promote their welfare. Since we correctly conceive of childhood obesity as a pressing welfare problem, we try to limit and prevent childhood obesity and thereby promote child welfare.

In this contribution I will focus on the welfare problem of childhood obesity and defend contextualism about how to prevent childhood obesity and thereby promote child welfare. Contextualism is the view that promoting welfare is not only – and perhaps not even primarily ...