Interrogating Conceptions of "Vulnerable Youth" in Theory, Policy and Practice FOREWORD

Abstract

A community cannot regard itself as a moral community unless it has a clear sense of its social responsibilities to all of its members. Of course, we readily recognise the responsibilities we have to our family and friends. But what about those whom we might never meet, or who are not directly related to us? How do we determine our broader obligations to the community as a whole? Are there some within our community who have a greater claim on our sense of moral responsibility? What is the scope of our moral community? Does it include those who are not our compatriots? Is it possible to regard the humanity as a whole as our moral community?