Ethics of Care

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses philosophers such as Emmanuel Kant and Aristotle, who wrote extensively on ethics and how to live within society. The paper goes on to discuss other general philosophies of ethics such as the currently accepted ethics of care and more traditional systems such as the social contract.

From the Paper:

"Kant's distinction between ethics and self-interest appears to be of interest in this particular case. For this philosopher, the conflict between what an individual wants and ought to do, lies in the fact that morality is seldom as spontaneous as self-gratification (Online Guide to Ethics and Moral Philosophy). Going to the trouble of helping a person in need is less spontaneous than looking the other way or serving some other, more self-involved interest.
When looking honestly at my situation from my own position of self-interest, I must admit that the thought of turning my friend in does not appeal to a large degree because I would like to continue my friendship with him. It is also much more pleasant to live in an environment without a "witch" making things difficult all the time. Thirdly, turning him in would mean going through a large amount of trouble in terms of police questioning, red tape and personal guilt. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Kraut, Richard. "Aristotle's Ethics". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2005. http://plato.stanford.edu/
• Online Guide to Ethics and Moral Philosophy. "Ethics of Care" 2002. caae.phil.cmu.edu/Cavalier/80130/
• Online Guide to Ethics and Moral Philosophy. "Kant's Ethics", 2002. caae.phil.cmu.edu/Cavalier/80130/
• Richards, Stephen. "Social Contract Theory.", 2006. www.faithnet.org.uk/Social Contract Theory.htm

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