Scientia (Mar 2020)
Praxis of Care: A Path to Harmony
Abstract
A harmonious state of things is often perceived idyllic. It is devoid of cacophony, hostility, and dissension. It denotes peace, accord, and a relationship characterized by a lack of conflict. True harmony goes much deeper than absence of conflict or condemnation for the lack of peace. This paper presents the challenges to harmony using the theory of care ethics. It will unveil the possibilities of care, even if it was initially lodged at home and family. Using an expansive view, this paper claims that harmony is not farfetched if nations bring to the table the ethics of care. Hinged on care ethics are the principles of collective praxis, peace, and solidarity which enrich human potentials and makes interconnections, and solidarity possible. Thus, the paper will employ philosophical and theological analysis that addresses the following: 1) Care ethics as an ethical concept with myriad variants, yet praxis-driven; 2) Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ as an appeal to foster care for all; 3) A theological reinterpretation of “rada”, and 4) Care ethics as an injunction to revalue care as a social good. Incorporating Pope Francis’ message in Laudato Si’, this paper hopes to underscore promoting a culture of caring through collective dialogue. References Anderlik, Mary R. The Ethics of Managed Care: A Pragmatic Approach. Bloomingdale: Indiana University Press. 2001. Blair-Loy, Mary. Competing Devotions: Career and Family among Women Executives. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 2003. Frank Parsons, Susan, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology. Cambridge: Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, 2002. Frank Parsons, Susan. Feminism and Christian Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Gardner, E. Clinton. Justice and Christian Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Gensler, Harry J., Earl W.Spurgin, and James C.Swindal, eds. Ethics: Contemporary Readings. New York: Routledge, 2004. Greene-Mccreight, Kathryn. Feminist Reconstructions of Christian Doctrine: Narrative Analysis and Appraisal. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Grimshaw, Jean. Philosophy and Feminist Thinking. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1986. Groenhout, Ruth E. “I Can’t Say No: Self-Sacrifice and an Ethics of Care,” in Ruth E. Groenhout and Marya Bower, eds. Philosophy, Feminism, and Faith, pp. 152-174. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. Groenhout, Ruth E. and Marya Bower, eds. Philosophy, Feminism, and Faith. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. Hampton, Jean. “Feminist Contractarianism,” in in Louise Antony and Charlotte Witt, eds. A Mind of One’s Own, pp. 227–255. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1993. Held, Virginia. ‘The Ethics of Care’ in David Copp, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Held, Virginia. The Ethics of Care: Personal, Political, and Global. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Hilkert Andolsen, Barbara. “Agape in Feminist Ethics,” The Journal of Religious Ethics 9 (1981): 69–83. Hoagland, Sarah Lucia. “Some Thoughts on ‘Caring,’” in Claudia Card, ed. Feminist Ethics, pp. 246–63. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1991. Hoffman, Martin L. Empathy and Moral Development: Implications for Caring and Justice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000 Homiak, Marcia. “Feminism and Aristotle’s Rational Ideal,” in Louise Antony and Charlotte Witt, eds. A Mind of One’s Own, pp.1–18. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1993. Hoose, Bernard. Christian Ethics: An Introduction. London: Continuum, 1998. Isherwood, Lisa and Kathleen McPhillips, eds. Post-Christian Feminisms: A Critical Approach. Hampshire. England: Ashgate, 2008. Jardine, Alice and Paul Smith, eds. Men in Feminism. New York: Routledge, 1987. Kieran Cronin. Rights and Christian Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Macrae, Janet A. Nursing as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemporary Application of Florence Nightingale's Views. New York: Springer Publishing Company. 2001. Michael Slote, Morals from Motives. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Murphy, Peter F. Feminism and Masculinities: Oxford Readings in Feminism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Murray, Mary. The Law of the Father? Patriarchy in the Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism London: Routledge, 1995. Outka, Gene. “Universal Love and Impartiality.” In Edmund Santurri and William Werpehowski, eds. The Love Commandments: Essays in Christian Ethics and Moral Philosophy. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1992. Parks, Jennifer A. No Place Like Home? Feminist Ethics and Home Health Care. Bloomingdale: Indiana University Press. 2003. Post, Stephen. A Theory of Agape: On the Meaning of Christian Love. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University Press, 1990. Ramsey, Paul. Basic Christian Ethics. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993.
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