Feminism Nel Noddings
Ethics and Feeling Hume: ethics depends on feeling Is doesn’t imply ought How do we get from is to ought? Feeling. Feeling alone can motivate us to act.
Natural Caring A feeling necessary to ethical action is natural caring Sometimes, we act on behalf of someone because we want to Example: mother caring for her child
Ethical Caring Ethical caring isn’t itself natural But it springs from memory of natural caring “I must, but I don’t want to”—overcome by memory of natural caring, but recalling feeling of our own best moments Ethical caring springs from two sentiments— natural caring and the memory of it
Ethical Ideal “Our best picture of ourselves caring and being cared for” Both constrained and attainable Fully relational, built up in response to others
Commitment “I must”—I might reject it Temptation: “I must” to “something must be done” Then I do not care Caring requires me to respond with an act of commitment
Comparison with Kant Kant: there is one and only one unqualified good, a good will But what is a good will? Kant: (1) one that decides on the basis of universal considerations; (2) one that treats others with respect Noddings defends another, common sense answer: (3) one that cares.
Consequences Like Kant, this implies that consequences are not ethically important What matters isn’t how well things turn out So, what does matter? What I considered How fully I received the other Whether my caring helped the other pursue projects
Source What’s the source of the initial “I must”? It is immediate, and arises directly— like infant crying in the night The source is natural