PHI 2604: Chapter 8: Feminist Ethics and the Ethics of Care

Carol Gilligan's research, which said that men and women have characteristically different styles of thinking about moral issues, has been further supported by recent research.

False

What is the consensus among feminist ethicists on the subject of prostitution?

Feminist ethicists would take no single position on the issue; feminists are a diverse group with many viewpoints.

Feminist ethicists emphasize the importance of thinking morally about the personal relationships commonly dismissed by philosophers as private, such as the ties between spouses or among family. According to feminist ethicists, what problems might result when private personal relationships are ignored in moral philosophy?

Problems The experiences of those who spend most of their lives in the domestic sphere will be ignored by philosophers., Philosophers will favor moral principles that do not prioritize duties to our close relations over duties to strangers., Philosophers do not condemn morally wrong or unjust traditions governing domestic life and personal relationships. Not Problems Moral philosophy will be focused on an ethics of caring, and not an ethics of justice.

Which of the following are accurate definitions of the ethics of care? Which of the following are not?

Accurate a perspective on morality which emphasizes close personal relationships and virtues such as compassion, kindness, and sympathy Inaccurate a perspective which argues that men and women think differently about morality, a theory of ethics that argues that virtues such as compassion, love, and kindness should replace the virtue of justice as a basis for moral decision making, a theory that argues that one cannot merely do the right thing out of a sense of duty; one must do the right thing because one cares about ethics and acting morally

Which of the following are accurate descriptions of feminist ethics? Which are not?

Accurate an outlook that focuses on women's interests and experiences, an approach devoted to supporting the moral equality of women and men, a distinctive way of looking at the concepts and concerns of the moral life Inaccurate the view that women are morally superior to men, a moral theory which provides a different definition of right action than the theories of Aquinas, Kant, Hobbes, and Mill, a set of ideas about morality which can be endorsed only by women,

Which of the following most accurately describes the perspective care ethics has on the ethic of justice?

An ethic of justice is an important but incomplete approach to morality.

Feminist philosophers both advance original arguments and critique arguments put forward by nonfeminists. Below is a nonfeminist argument; select the implicit premise from the list that will make the argument valid.

Differences between men are women are biological

Feminist ethicists argue that traditional philosophy primarily represented men's lives and excluded women's experiences. Which aspects of Hobbes's ethics, described below, are compatible with feminist ethics? Which are not compatible?

Aspects of Hobbes's Ethics Compatible with Feminist Ethics Hobbes believes that one of the most important achievements of the social contract is peace. Aspects of Hobbes's Ethics Not Compatible with Feminist Ethics Hobbes thought that wariness, not trust, was the natural attitude for human beings to take towards others., Hobbes emphasized that the natural state of humankind is one of perpetual warfare., Hobbes sees the state of nature as a place of competition, not cooperation.,

Feminist ethicists argue that traditional philosophy primarily represented men's lives and excluded women's experiences. Which aspects of Bentham's ethics, described below, are compatible with feminist ethics? Which are not compatible?

Aspects of Bentham's Ethics Compatible with Feminist Ethics Bentham claims that emotion, specifically happiness, is the only thing that is intrinsically good., Bentham argues that our concern should be for the well-being of everyone in the community whom our actions can affect. Aspects of Bentham's Ethics Not Compatible with Feminist Ethics Bentham says that those we are close to do not intrinsically merit more of our moral concern than strangers., Bentham emphasizes the product of an action over the process of the action.

Ajume is a doctor who lives in a wealthy country with universal healthcare. While he does help people through his work, if he were not a doctor, those people would still get good medical care. However, if Ajume were to go to a country that has suffered a famine, he would be able to help far more people. The cost of doing so is that he would almost never see his children, who love him deeply.Utilitarianism would recommend that Ajume do whatever creates the greatest collective good. In what way does utilitarianism ignore considerations that are important according to care ethics?

Utilitarianism ignores the fact that Ajume has a special relationship with his children.

When discussing the ethic of care, the philosopher Virginia Held has argued that "caring for one's child ... may well and defensibly be at the forefront of a person's moral concerns." Which general features of feminist ethics does Held's claim illustrate? Which features are not illustrated by Held's example?

Features of Feminist Ethics Addressed skepticism about the impartiality of morality, an emphasis on personal relationships Features of Feminist Ethics Not Addressed a focus on the rights of vulnerable people, the rejection of moral principles

In the 1980s, Carol Gilligan distinguished between the ethic of justice and the ethic of care. Gilligan associated the ethic of justice with the way men think about morality, and the ethic of care with the way women think about morality. Which of the following most accurately describes how Gilligan's research is interpreted today?

Men typically reasoned according to the ethic of justice; women typically accepted the ethic of care.

Kelly wants to make the world a better place. One way to do this would be to spend all of her free time volunteering. However, Kelly also has people who depend on her, such as her elderly parents, who would be worse off if she was never available to be with them. Because of this, Kelly accepts that she has special duties to people she has close personal relationships with. What feature of feminist ethics is illustrated by Kelly's situation?

Refuses impartiality

The philosopher Virginia Held has said that care ethics "refuses to relegate care to a realm 'outside morality.'" In what way have traditional moral theories relegated care to a realm outside of morality?

They treat the caring activities within the home as being private, and thus not appropriate for moral evaluation.

Feminist ethics has understandably focused on issues of special significance to women, such as abortion and the gendered division of labor. However, feminist ethics can be used to think about any moral issue. How might an ethic of care help us think about whether the death penalty is morally justified?

Ways an Ethic of Care Would be Applied to the Death Penalty by asking whether care for the victims of the crime requires the perpetrator to be punished by death, or whether care can be achieved without those means. by asking whether life imprisonment would allow the convict to better maintain and develop personal relationships Not Ways an Ethic of Care Would be Applied to the Death Penalty by asking whether putting a prisoner to death violates a person's right to life, by asking whether there was some general moral principle, such as "an eye for an eye," which would justify capital punishment

Feminist ethicists argue that traditional philosophy primarily represented men's lives and excluded women's experiences. Which aspects of Kant's ethics, described below, are compatible with feminist ethics? Which are not compatible?

Aspects of Kant's Ethics Compatible with Feminist Ethics The categorical imperative states that that all persons, regardless of gender, should be treated as ends in themselves. Aspects of Kant's Ethics Not Compatible with Feminist Ethics Kant argues that acting ethically requires acting impartially., Kant believes that intellect, and not emotion, is how we come to know right and wrong., Kant sees the moral worth of one's action as depending on one's respect for the moral law, rather than care for any individuals.

Santiago's friend Laura has recently broken her leg, and she is finding it hard to get around her home with such decreased mobility. Santiago remembers when he lost his job last year, and Laura was there for him. Nevertheless, Santiago has many obligations that keep him very busy in his life at the moment, and he is debating whether to make time to visit Laura and help her around the house.How would an ethic of justice and an ethic of care guide Santiago's action in this case?

Both would agree Santiago should help Laura

Which of the following ideas are emphasized by feminist ethicists in general? Which of the following are not?

Empathized: an emphasis on the non-ideal the importance of personal relationships a high regard for emotions skepticism toward impartiality Not empathized: the primacy of public life the superiority of an ethics of justice

Care ethics has many similarities to virtue ethics. In fact, one way to argue that care ethics captures important aspects of morality is to argue that virtue ethics captures important aspects of morality. Such an argument would look like this:

The virtues are an important part of the moral life. Compassion, kindness, and other forms of care are virtues. Therefore, care is an important part of the moral life.

The philosopher Virginia Held argues the following about care ethics: "The ethics of care recognizes that human beings are dependent for many years of their lives, that the moral claim of those dependent on us for the care they need is pressing, and that there are highly important moral aspects in developing the relations of caring that enable human beings to live and progress." Held notes how care ethics illustrates some of the general features of feminist ethics. Which of those features does Held point to? What features of feminist ethics does Held not address here?

Addressed an emphasis on the nonideal, an emphasis on personal relationships Not Addressed an acknowledgment of the primacy of an ethic of justice, differing views on moral principles,

Feminist ethicists have argued that values associated with femininity have been neglected by philosophers; one example is the value of emotion. Traditionally, emotions have been regarded as irrational, and thus obstacles to moral insight instead of sources of moral insight. Which of the following philosophers has viewed emotions this way?

Immanuel Kant