The concepts of majority and legal competence no doubt include a number of borderline cases. As was pointed out in Section 1, the existence of such borderline cases in no way invalidates a concept (p. 1.3:47). The resolution of such cases is a matter to be settled by objective evaluation of evidence and legal determination.

The approach outlined here successfully reconciles the need for protection of the young with the moral principle of non-initiation of force, since its enforcement requires only that voluntary contracts be upheld. It treats the child as an individual who, like any other human being, is an end in himself or herself. This view should be contrasted with that of both precapitalistic and mixed-economy systems, which as already seen tend to regard children as chattel or as means of support for their elders (pp. 5.5:17-25). The approach offered here has clear implications, not only for legal systems, but also for rational methods of child rearing.