How should our most intimate personal relationships be governed in a liberal society? Should the state encourage a particular model of family life, or support individuals in their pursuit of personal happiness? This book examines the questions at the heart of family law, rethinking the ideas that shape our understanding of the family as a social unit, its purpose, and the obligations and rights that belong to family members.

Introduction Power Friendship Truth Respect Responsibility Rights Community

John Eekelaar , Academic Director and Emeritus Fellow, Pembroke College, Oxford

`Instructive, entertaining and thought provoking. John Eekelaar always manages to move the debate forward.' Baroness Hale of Richmond