Lon Nease - Fatherhood - Philosophy for Everyone: The Dao of Daddy

VOLUME EDITORS

LON S. NEASE is a PhD student in the Philosophy Department at the University of Cincinnati. He holds an MA in Philosophy from the University of Kentucky, where he studied phenomenology and existentialism. Nease has published on post-Kantian ethical theory.

MICHAEL W. AUSTIN is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University. His books include Running and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), Conceptions of Parenthood (2007), Football and Philosophy:Going Deep (2008), and Wise Stewards (2009).

SERIES EDITOR

FRITZ ALLHOFF is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at Western Michigan University, as well as a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National Universitys Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics. In addition to editing the Philosophy for Everyone series, Allhoff is the volume editor or co-editor for several titles, including Wine & Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), Whiskey & Philosophy (with Marcus P. Adams, Wiley, 2009), and Food & Philosophy (with Dave Monroe, Wiley-Blackwell, 2007).

PHILOSOPHY FOR EVERYONE

Series editor: Fritz Allhoff

Not so much a subject matter, philosophy is a way of thinking. Thinking not just about the Big Questions, but about little ones too. This series invites everyone to ponder things they care about, big or small, significant, serious or just curious.

Running & Philosophy:
A Marathon for the Mind

Edited by Michael W. Austin

Wine & Philosophy:
A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking

Edited by Fritz Allhoff

Food & Philosophy:
Eat, Think and Be Merry

Edited by Fritz Allhoff and Dave Monroe

Beer & Philosophy:
The Unexamined Beer Isnt Worth Drinking

Edited by Steven D. Hales

Whiskey & Philosophy:
A Small Batch of Spirited Ideas

Edited by Fritz Allhoff and Marcus P. Adams

College Sex Philosophy for Everyone: Philosophers With Benefits

Edited by Michael Bruce
and Robert M. Stewart

Cycling Philosophy for Everyone:
A Philosophical Tour de Force

Edited by Jess Ilundin-Agurruza
and Michael W. Austin

Climbing Philosophy for Everyone: Because Its There

Edited by Stephen E. Schmid

Hunting Philosophy for Everyone:
In Search of the Wild Life

Edited by Nathan Kowalsky

Christmas Philosophy for Everyone: Better Than a Lump of Coal

Edited by Scott C. Lowe

Cannabis Philosophy for Everyone: What Were We Just Talking About?

Edited by Dale Jacquette

Porn Philosophy for Everyone:
How to Think With Kink

Edited by Dave Monroe

Serial Killers Philosophy for Everyone: Being and Killing

Edited by S. Waller

Dating Philosophy for Everyone: Flirting With Big Ideas

Edited by Kristie Miller and Marlene Clark

Gardening Philosophy for Everyone: Cultivating Wisdom

Edited by Dan OBrien

Motherhood Philosophy for Everyone: The Birth of Wisdom

Edited by Sheila Lintott

Fatherhood Philosophy for Everyone: The Dao of Daddy

Edited by Lon S. Nease
and Michael W. Austin

Forthcoming books in the series:

Fashion Philosophy for Everyone

Edited by Jessica Wolfendale
and Jeanette Kennett

Coffee Philosophy for Everyone

Edited by Scott Parker
and Michael W. Austin

Blues Philosophy for Everyone

Edited by Abrol Fairweather
and Jesse Steinberg

This edition first published 2010
2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd except for editorial material and organization
2010 Lon S. Nease and Michael W. Austin

Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwells publishing program has been merged with Wileys global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell.

Registered Office
John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex,
PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom

Editorial Offices
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK
The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.

The right of Lon S. Nease and Michael W. Austin to be identified as the authors of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fatherhood philosophy for everyone: the Dao of daddy / edited by Lon S. Nease and Michael W. Austin.

p. cm. (Philosophy for everyone)

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-4443-3031-1 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Fatherhood. 2. Philosophy. I. Nease, Lon S. II. Austin, Michael W. III. Title: Fatherhood philosophy for everyone.

HQ756.F38246 2010

173dc22

2010004719

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

To my daughter Leona, who has made this experience
so wonderful.

Lon

To Sophie, Emma, and Haley, for the patience they show
and the joy they bring.

Mike

ADRIENNE BURGESS

FOREWORD

In my own writing and research on fatherhood, Ive explored the roles played by fathers in the past and present, the impact of fathers for both good and ill on their children and their childrens mothers, whether good fathers are born or made, and many of the related public policy issues. One thing that I have discovered is that we can learn a lot by identifying and reflecting on our assumptions about fatherhood. By examining the different ideas about fatherhood in the ancient and modern worlds, studying the diaries of fathers, interviewing present-day fathers, and making use of other kinds of empirical research, we learn something that most of us already knew: fathers matter. When we consider fathers and their roles in these ways, we can gain a deeper appreciation for what it means to be a father as well as some significant insights into how to be a good father. The fantastic book in your hands shares these same goals.