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Care Ethics: Morality Through Relationships
Carol Gilligan's challenge to impartial, rule-based ethics
Traditional ethics asks: 'What is the right rule?' Care ethics asks: 'Who needs me, and how do I respond?'
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Care ethics emerged from Carol Gilligan's 1982 critique of Lawrence Kohlberg's moral development theory, which she argued was biased toward a masculine 'justice' orientation and neglected a 'care' orientation more common in women's moral reasoning. Care ethics prioritises relationships, empathy, and responsiveness to particular individuals over abstract principles and impartial rules.
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