Moral attention: A comparative philosophical study

Abstract

The notion of moral attention allows the recognition of fundamental aspects of ethical life ignored or neglected by mainstream ethical theories. It is central to the theories of several notable female ethicists and many of them identify the French philosopher Simone Weil as the source of the contemporary use of this concept which invites questioning of crucial categories in the domain of ethics and moral education, such as the importance of the will as well as the definition of the moral sphere itself. The meanings given to the notion of moral attention are examined in the work of three ethicists: Iris Murdoch, Nel Noddings and Joan Tronto with the object of bringing out points of agreement and disagreement between their respective conceptions of this subject. The way they have addressed the complex problem of educating for moral attention is analyzed and important implications for moral education are discussed.

Keywords:

• Moral attention
• engrossment
• care ethics
• empathy

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the members of WPESGB seminar 2013 and Bruce Maxwell for insightful comments. I also acknowlege Andy Murphy and Nathalie Girardin for translation from French to English. This work was partially supported by GRÉÉ and UQTR.