Imagining ethical globalization: The contributions of a care ethic

Abstract

Approaches to global ethics have drawn on a number of diverse theoretical traditions, such as Kantianism and utilitarianism. While emerging frameworks contribute to a growing awareness of and interest in ethics within a global society, the values that they prioritize are not adequate for realizing a just, equitable and fair system of global governance. This article considers the possibilities of an alternative ethic—a feminist ethic of care—and explores how it can bear on present circumstances, including global inequity and injustice. This care ethic has been put forward as a viable normative approach to politics and policy. Little attention, however, has been paid to the potential of a care ethic within the globalization and ethics debate. This article illustrates how the values and corresponding principles of care, grounded in relationships and responsibilities, are essential to responding adequately to the current challenges of globalization. By examining the relevance of care in this context, the article seeks to broaden dominant ethical worldviews and contribute to the articulation of normative tools for examining globalization while at the same time avoiding the trappings of conventional universality—the abstract and a priori thinking typically associated with conceptions of global ethics.

Notes

[1] Endorsed by the UN Secretary General, funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation and a number of national governments.

[2] For a detailed examination of the evolution of care ethics, specifically shifts between ‘first generation’ and ‘second generation’ care theorists, see Tronto (1993) and Hankivsky (2004).