Angels and Pinheads

Most conventions are seen in an economic framework anymore. So the question of legitimacy has been historically important for reasons of heredity: Only a legitimate child could inherit a parent's property. Even Henry VIII, desperate for a male heir, could not change this law--and he changed plenty--to favor FitzRoy. It was easier for him to kill his wives and create a religious schism than to advance a bastard.

Given the seriousness with which this question was viewed, one wonders what is afoot in contemporary society. Recent studies have shown the illegitimacy rate for children born in the United States is a bit over 40%; it is 33% in Ireland. Ireland! There are some generalities about childbearing that seem to be agreed upon--children should not have children, illegitimacy is bad for for the economic success of both the parents and the child, illegitimacy is a good predictor of high risk social and criminal behavior, single parent households are bad for child development--but despite the agreement on these subjects, there seems to be little effort to discourage the behavior. One could argue that an effort is underway to remove the "social stigma"--whatever residual persists--completely. Television shows now track the pregnancies of young girls--presumably to show the viewer that, while no one would dare impose a judgment, illegitimacy is not a good idea from a utilitarian view--yet these same girls end up on the covers of magazines and are known by their first names by everyone.

One could muse that legitimacy, more than a hereditary clarifying tool, was emphasized because it was learned by the societies over the years to be valuable. If that is the case, the culture is doing a huge, uncontrolled experiment. The effect might be liberating--but it might not be anything more than a revival of ancient and long-discarded errors. If that possibility exists, there is a lot at stake here and contemporary philosophical debates like the financial responsibilities of sperm donors are angels on pinheads.