The false choice between the buffered self and authoritarian community
In Aeon, a birth scene in a terraced London house includes nine medical professionals, seven housemates, two grandparents and a cat.
The author rejects the choice between atomisation—what the philosopher Charles Taylor calls the 'buffered self'—and hierarchical, authoritarian community, or between girl-boss and trad-wife.
What the author wants instead is a thick web of humans who commit to costly mutual care rather than play a passing role in each other's lives.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
Take
The essay's real target is the idea that a thick web of care can be optional.
Pushback
The room with seven housemates, nine medical professionals and two grandparents is a vivid image of care; I am less convinced it is a template.