ভূমিকা

According to Slote, it is "difficult to believe that one has a duty to show gratitude for benefits one has not requested" in O'Neill & Ruddick (1979), p.[^320]: (3) See Jane English,"What Do Grown Children Owe Their Parents?" in Sommers and Sommers (1993), p.[^763]: (4) For example, Daniels says:"Children did not ask to be brought into existence" (Daniels, p.29), and calls the traditional filial relation "not self-imposed." Because of that, "we remain without compelling foundations for filial obligations, ..." (Daniels, p.34).

English, though criticizing the traditional understanding of the nature of filial relation as being "reciprocal," defines filial relation as a relation of friendship. According to her, a filial relation without a friendship, which assumes mutual consent, does not endow any moral obligation.

In English's words, "The relationship between children and their parents should be one of friendship characterized by mutuality rather than one of reciprocal favors" (Sommers and Sommers, p.762), and "After a friendship ends, the duties of friendship end" (Sommers and Sommers, p.761). (5) This idea can be traced back to Aristotle.

According to Aristotle, a moral praise or blame should be based on whether an individual moral agent behaves "voluntarily or "involuntarily." "Being voluntary," Aristotle held, means that (1) an individual is internally motivated rather than externally compelled to act; (2) the action may not be not a result of ignorance or deceit. See Aristotle, 1110a5 - 1114b[^15]: (6) Ironically, a similar example of a good swimmer can be also found in Daniels.

However, Daniels calls it "supererogatory" rather than "obligatory" (Daniels, p.33).