I doveri della cura. Alcuni problemi nelle etiche del care

The ethics of care emphasize the moral and normative value of practices that are too often neglected in society with quite serious consequences for those who carry them out and for its beneficiaries. In discussing the contribution of prominent theorists such as Carol Gilligan, Joan Tronto, Eva Kittay, the essay deals with their anthropological premises and their political and moral consequences. According to theories of care, human beings are defined by ontological vulnerability, which places the individual in situations of dependence on others. Consequently, the contract’s dynamic is replaced by an involuntary credit structure, the rational voluntarism by a relational debt. Moreover, it is possible to observe a theoretical gap in the ethics of care when they come to circumscribing the population having vital needs – different from desires, preferences, and interests – to be met and whose vulnerability produces moral obligations to others. The result would be an indefinite extension of care activities and the rise of a moral pressure on caregivers or dependency workers.