EthicsofCare-CabrilloCollege.pdfVIP

Cabrillo College Philosophy 10 – Ethics Claudia Close Introduction to the Ethic of Care There is a current debate over whether the Ethic of Care is a genuinely new approach to ethics or whether it is a re-articulation of a virtue ethic; In the Ethic of Care, one seeks to develop a skill at giving care appropriately all the while balancing the amount of care necessary to sustain oneself. Since there is a goal: “To care and to be cared for,”1 it might even be thought of as having a consequentialist appeal. There are certainly aspects of a deontological Kantian approach: not only is respect for persons commanded but some Care theorists write of the usefulness of rules when the moral agent is insufficiently skilled or motivated in care giving. Perhaps the strongest position would be to think of it as more of an attitude or perspective as opposed to a full blown theory; It has only been around 20 or so years and is very much still in the process of being articulated. Despite having some common strains, there is an explicit rejection of core aspects of the three major theories we have studied thus far. The foundation of the ethic of care is largely a rejection of a Kantian notion that the ideal moral agent is dispassionate, objective and operates solely in accord with rationally derived moral principles. For Kant, emotional connections with others are seen as biases which negatively affect one?s ability to act in adherence with these principles. In the Ethic of Care, it is our very caring that is seen as an essential ingredient and motivator to respond ethically. Further, the utilitarian justification of the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few is not acceptable in the Ethic of Care. Lastly, Aristotle?s warrior virtues are not the focus; caring for and about others is central. Care is both an attitude towards others as well as a skill to be acquired. Justification. One of the early sources of the Ethic of Care can be found in Carol Gilligan?s2 critiques of L