The Capital Child: Parenting and the Common Good

Parenting is more than a series of tasks—it is the crucible of our humanity. This book dismantles the modern obsession with “good” parenting, competitive child-rearing, and algorithmic measures of family life. Drawing on literature, philosophy, sociology, and policy, it shows how the soul of the family is entwined with the commons—the shared life, mutual care, and collective responsibility that bind communities. Challenging the market-driven pressures that reduce children to projects and parents to competitors, The Capital Child argues for a society where raising children, nurturing relationships, and contributing to the common good are recognized as central to civic life. It explores universal services, basic income, and social solidarity as pathways to restore freedom, dignity, and connection in the lives of families. Part manifesto, part sociological critique, part literary meditation, this book is a deeply original intervention. It speaks to parents, educators, policymakers, and anyone concerned with the future of human flourishing. The Capital Child: Parenting and the Common Good puts the soul back in family life.