The Foundations of Flourishing and Our Responsibility to Infants: An ethical and evidence-based case to challenge the societal acceptance of childcare.
Dr Gillian Joiner
Determined to understand more about the developmental needs of infants and the family’s influence on the individual, Dr. Gillian Joiner went on an educational journey taking three majors in psychology, philosophy, and journalism, an honours degree in ethics and later combined these fields in an interdisciplinary PhD. She has been researching these topics for 35 years and worked with parents and children as a social worker for 16 years. She is a mother of two and grandmother of four.
Publisher’s recommendation
The book challenges current social and political assumptions about childcare and the wellbeing of the under-threes. It would not so much add to a debate on the subject, as start one. It could potentially have impacts at many levels.
The book addresses issues around family life and the needs of infants from a philosophical perspective. This in itself is remarkable. In addition, the author has the courage to question ideas and assumptions that have become normalised in Western social for several generations. This combination is powerfully different from most scholarly treatments of questions of child rearing and family dynamics.
What Prof Darcia Narvaez has to say
‘The thesis demonstrates excellence in writing, organization, and clarity. It is a courageous endeavor taking on a controversial subject, the treatment of young children. I think it successfully takes an interdisciplinary approach to the issue’