Why We DecideCarol Gilligan
Psychology, ethics of care · nar. 1936
Morality does not speak only the language of principles. It also speaks the language of relationships and care.
Main ideas
- In In a Different Voice she showed that Kohlberg's model measured morality mostly through the lens of justice and principles — and overlooked the ethics of care: moral reasoning led by relationships, by responsibility for other people, and by the particular context.
- Deciding "because of the people I care about" is not a lower form of morality. It is a full moral language.
What we take
The Relationships layer has an equal place in the framework — love, loyalty, and acceptance are not "immature" motivations, but one of six sources of deciding, with strengths and limits of their own.
What we do differently
Gilligan formulated the ethics of care above all as a critique of developmental models. We do not set care and principles against each other — the profile shows when a person reaches for one and when for the other.
Recommended books
- In a Different Voice (1982)
- Joining the Resistance (2011)
Sources
- Gilligan, C. (1982). In a Different Voice. Harvard University Press — the ethics of care as a critique of Kohlberg's model.
- Walker, L. J. (1984). Sex differences in the development of moral reasoning: A critical review. Child Development, 55, 677–691 — a meta-analysis that did not confirm a difference between the sexes on Kohlberg's scale. That is why we do not adopt the claim about sex differences.