Ethics of Care

The ethics of care is a normative ethical theory based on the premise that the care experienced in actual relationships in everyday life should serve as a moral basis for decision-making. This approach differs from deontological or consequentialist ethical theories because care ethics reject the notion that general laws and principles should be formed for everyone to follow under all circumstances. Instead, contextual and relational perspectives should be the basis from which to make moral choices when guided by an ethics of care.

Proponents of the ethics of care approach argue that each situation must be weighed according to the circumstances and needs, with an emphasis on compassion. An ethics of care is based on the notion that individuals are interconnected. It starts from the premise ...