Morality as fair distribution

The Nurturant Parent model requires that children be nurtured equally and that the responsibilities of parenthood be equally shared between spouses. This gives priority to the metaphor of Morality As Fair Distribution. But that, in itself, does not tell us which of the main models of fair distribution is to be chosen in which circumstance. Recall the models of fair distribution:

• Equality of distribution (one child, one cookie)

• Equality of opportunity (one person, one raffle ticket)

• Procedural distribution (playing by the rules deter-mines what you get)

• Rights-based fairness (you get what you have a right to)

• Need-based fairness (the more you need, the more you have a right to)

• Scalar distribution (the more you work, the more you get)

• Contractual distribution (you get what you agree to)

• Equal distribution of responsibility (we share the burden equally)

• Scalar distribution of responsibility (the greater your abilities, the greater your responsibilities)

• Equal distribution of power (one person, one vote)

The Nurturant Parent model of the family includes some of these. Need-based fairness applies to nurturance for children: younger children may need more attention, teenage children more money. Other situations require fairness to be equality of distribution: one child, one cookie. With a combination of older and younger children, there is a scalar distribution of responsibility; more responsibility is expected of older children. Parents, however, share an equal distribution of responsibility and power. Children's games impose procedural fairness.

In the Nurturant Parent family, the conditions of family life determine the forms of fair distribution. Once the metaphor of Morality As Fair Distribution is extended from the family to life in general, the nature of fairness may become less obvious, or may be determined by other principles (as we shall see below). Nonetheless, Morality As Fair Distribution is a cornerstone of Nurturant Parent morality.

Moral growth

The nurturance of children is in the service of growth. Children do physically grow. Given that morality is conceptualized in terms of verticality – uprightness, high moral principles, etc. – it is hardly strange that we should have the metaphorical notion of moral growth, in which becoming more moral is seen as "growing." Children grow in response to nurturance and exercise. In the metaphor of Morality As Nurturance, nurturing children corresponds metaphorically to helping someone badly in need of help. A natural extension of that metaphor is the metaphor of Moral Growth, where adults are seen as capable of growing morally either through help (which corresponds to nurturance) or work (the adult correlate of exercise). The metaphor of Moral Growth can be stated as follows:

• The Degree of Morality Is Physical Height.

• Moral Growth Is Physical Growth.

• Moral Norms for People Are Physical Height Norms.

Thus, a "moral midget" is someone of low moral character. We can speak of "moral development," by which we mean the stages of moral sensibility that a child goes through as she or he grows up. We can speak of a person's moral growth as being "stunted," and we know what that means, namely, that she or he has not developed normally and has only reached an early stage of development. Project Head Start has a moral component. The idea is to give a young child a growth spurt in moral development, as well as a "head start" on life's journey.

Moral growth is a central idea in religion and law. The idea of repentance presupposes the possibility for moral growth. In law, "showing remorse" is a demonstration of moral growth and grounds for a reduced prison sentence. The idea of moral growth has long been associated more with liberal than with conservative politics. This comes out clearly in the politics of prisons. The concept of rehabilitation is based on the concept of moral growth. The idea is that if prisoners are treated humanely, taught useful skills, encouraged to get an education, allowed to earn furloughs, and provided with a job upon release, they will have a chance to grow morally and become useful citizens. Not that this is guaranteed, by any means. But if prisoners do grow morally, there is no reason to keep them in prison.