The Problem with Neutrality

It was only when I became a parent that I truly came to know fear. There are powerful instincts behind one’s sense of protectiveness, to be sure, but also much more than that. There is also, of course, one’s love for the child, as well as, unlike with the others you love, an awareness of the child’s utter innocence and vulnerability. And, finally, there is the recognition that he or she is your son or daughter, your gift, which is to say that your relationship with them is anything but abstract. The combination is so potent that sometimes just the thought of them coming to harm can be unbearable.

So if, God forbid, a terrible thing does happen, then it is tragic enough when it is no one’s fault, when the cause is an accident, say, or an illness. When someone is responsible, then that, of course, makes it even worse. And when, instead of justice being done, there...