Treatise on Parents and Children
by Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
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- 3 hours to read
- Reading level: 10th to 12th grade
"A Treatise on Parents and Children" by Bernard Shaw is a philosophical inquiry written in the late 19th century. This work explores the complex relationship between parents and children, questioning societal norms and advocating for a re-evaluation of how children are raised and treated. Shaw delves into the rights of children, the responsibilities of parents, and the implications of childhood education, making a case for recognizing children as autonomous individuals with their own needs and aspirations. The opening of the treatise sets a provocative tone by emphasizing the cyclical nature of life and the continuous process of human development. Shaw challenges traditional views on childhood, which depict it as a mere preparatory phase for adulthood, and he argues that society often treats children as property lacking rights. He critiques the ways in which children are molded by parental expectations and societal pressures, suggesting that this often leads to the manufacture of moral and intellectual 'monsters.' Through sharp observations and rhetorical questioning, he encourages readers to consider the consequences of denying children their agency and the importance of fostering their natural inclinations rather than imposing arbitrary standards of behavior or belief.
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Produced by Ron Burkey and Amy Thomte
A TREATISE ON PARENTS AND CHILDREN
By Bernard Shaw
Parents and Children
Trailing Clouds of Glory
The Child is Father to the Man
What is a Child?
The Sin of Nadab and Abihu
The Manufacture of Monsters
Small and Large Families
Children as Nuisances
Child Fanciers
Childhood as a State of Sin
School
My Scholastic Acquirements
Schoolmasters of Genius
What We Do Not Teach, and Why
Taboo in Schools
Alleged Novelties in Modern Schools
What is to be Done?
Children's Rights and Duties
Should Children Earn their Living?
Children's Happiness
The Horror of the Perpetual Holiday
University Schoolboyishness
The New Laziness
The Infinite School Task
The Rewards and Risks of Knowledge
English Physical Hardihood and Spiritual Cowardice
The Risks of Ignorance and Weakness
The Common Sense of Toleration
The Sin of Athanasius
The Experiment Experimenting
Why We Loathe Learning and Love Sport
Antichrist
Under the Whip
Technical Instruction
Docility and Dependence
The Abuse of Docility
The Schoolboy and the Homeboy
The Comings of Age of Children
The Conflict of Wills
The Demagogue's Opportunity
Our Quarrelsomeness
We Must Reform Society before we can Reform Ourselves
The Pursuit of Manners
Not too much Wind on the Heath, Brother
Wanted: a Child's Magna Charta
The Pursuit of Learning
Children and Game: a Proposal
The Parents' Intolerable Burden
Mobilization
Children's Rights and Parents' Wrongs
How Little We Know About Our Parents
Our Abandoned Mothers
Family Affection
The Fate of the Family
Family Mourning
Art Teaching
The Impossibility of Secular Education
Natural Selection as a Religion
Moral Instruction Leagues
The Bible
Artist Idolatry
"The Machine"
The Provocation to Anarchism
Imagination
Government by Bullies
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About this edition
This free edition of Treatise on Parents and Children by Bernard Shaw comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #908, released 2006-03-22. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Philosophy & Ethics, Parenthood & Family Relations, Teaching & Education.
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