Not justice, but care? : an analysis of contemporary ethical theories in light of the love commandment

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since the late 1970's an important conversation concerning the ethics of care became more prominent. One of the most prominent and influential key figures of this ethical theory was Carol Gilligan who, during the 1980's, developed the ethics of care as a response to the theory of the ethics of justice that was developed by her friend and colleague, Lawrence Kohlberg. The ethics of care was developed into an influential theory that changed the perception of moral development and it is for this reason that the work and development of the ethics of care by Carol Gilligan is of crucial importance in this dissertation. The ethics of care should, however, not be considered to be a moral theory that is restricted to the private sphere. It has also influenced the development of ethical-political theories that have an impact on the public sphere and how people live within public spaces. Joan Tronto, one of many prominent figures and experts on the ethics of care, develops the ethics of care further into a moral theory that has the potential to change the way democracy functions if people are willing to take their ethical responsibilities of care seriously along with their ethical responsibility of justice. In this dissertation one of the crucial questions to ask is whether the Christian tradition can learn something from the moral traditions that have already been developed, especially when it comes to the debate concerning the ethics of care and the ethics of justice. The proposed point of connection, based on the mutual basis of love, is Frits de Lange's understanding of the Love Commandment, which will also serve as the hermeneutical lens of this dissertation. This dissertation does not attempt to critically- or theologically evaluate the work of the chosen key figures, but rather attempts to determine whether the Love Commandment, as the cornerstone of the Christian tradition and the hermeneutical lens of this dissertation, can be a valuable means to unify the ethics of care and the ethics of justice in order to create a society that seeks both justice and care as equal and necessary moral theories.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University