The ethics of care movement is a movement in twentieth century normative ethical theory that is largely inspired by the work of psychologist Carol Gilligan. The easiest way for many people to understand care ethics is by contrasting the theory to more well-known ethical views. The popular ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology tend to emphasize universal standards, moral rules, and impartiality. This sort of outlook is what feminist critics call a 'justice view' of morality. Gilligan and others have suggested that the history of ethics in Western culture has emphasized the justice view of morality because it is the outlook that has traditionally been cultivated and shared by men. By contrast, women have traditionally been taught a different kind of moral outlook that emphasizes solidarity, community, and caring about one's special relationships. This "care view" of morality has been ignored or trivialized because women were traditionally in positions of limited power and influence. The justice view of morality focuses on doing the right thing even if it requires personal cost or sacrificing the interest of those to whom one is close. The care view would instead say that we can and should put the interests of those who are close to us above the interests of complete strangers, and that we should cultivate our natural capacity to care for others and ourselves. Ethics (from Greek ἦθος meaning custom) is the branch of axiology, one of the four major branches of philosophy, which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to distinguish that which is right from that which is wrong. ... Carol Gilligan (1936– ) is an American feminist ethicist best known for her work with and against Lawrence Kohlberg on ethical community and ethical relationships, and certain subject-object problems in ethics. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In moral philosophy, deontology is the view that morality either forbids or permits actions, which is done through moral norms. ...

Important Names in the Ethics of Care

• Carol Gilligan

• Nel Noddings

• Sandra Bartky

• Rita Manning

• Fiona Robinson

• Grace Clement

Carol Gilligan (1936– ) is an American feminist ethicist best known for her work with and against Lawrence Kohlberg on ethical community and ethical relationships, and certain subject-object problems in ethics. ...

External links

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Feminist Ethics

• Ethics of Care article at Carnegie Mellon website

• Nel Noddings biography