Professor Senior Lecturer Philosophy and Social Theory Political - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Ethik der Achtsamkeit . l’éthique du care . Ethics of care . Zorgethiek

10th September 2015 www.econradi.de Senior Lecturer Political Theory and History of Ideas Institute of Political Science University of Tübingen, Germany

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Professor

Philosophy and Social Theory Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University Stuttgart, Germany

Elisabeth Conradi European Ethics of Care: Drawing Distinctions

Professor

Philosophy and Social Theory Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University Stuttgart, Germany Senior Lecturer Political Theory and History of Ideas Institute of Political Science University of Tübingen, Germany

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European Ethics of Care: Drawing Distinctions

• 1. German-Language Discourses
• 2. Ethics of Care in Europe:

Key Terms and Central Topics

• 3. European Ethics of care: Drawing Distinctions

OVERVIEW

German-Language Discourse on Social Ethics 1830-1933

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Various Voices of the Jewish Social Ethics in the German-language Discourse since 1830 like Nachman Weinstein (Die jüdischen Lehrmeister der Nächstenliebe 1891), Hermann Cohen (Feindesliebe 1900) and Leo Baeck (Die Schöpfung des Mitmenschen 1918) defended a shared ethical approach. It seems that some of the Pioneers of Social Reform like Lina Morgenstern (Die Volksküchen in Berlin 1866), Henriette Fürth (Das Ziehkinderwesen in Frankfurt am Main 1898), Bertha Pappenheim (Die sozialen Grundlagen der Sittlichkeitsfrage 1901) and Alice Salomon (Wohltätigkeit und soziale Hilfsarbeit 1902) do also share a common concept. This might also refer to the Biblical Instruction to behave decent and warm toward the Neighbour (Lev 19,18) and the demand to support Orphans, Widows, pauper persons and Aliens (Ex 22,20). It seems also to answer to the Rabbinic Concepts of Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam), Benevolence (Gemilut chassadim) and Integrity as well as Social Justice (Tzedek). This Voices had been marginalised during the 19th and in the beginning of the 20th century. But they have been violently silenced during the Nazi dictatorship.

German-Language Care Ethical Discourse since 1980

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In the late 1970s the transcontinental reception of the book A Theory of Justice (Rawls 1971) initiated a new discussion in Germany. Since then Contractualism was one of the dominant Approaches in Ethics and Political Theory. Similarly the German-Language Care Ethical Discourse started off with a trans- continental reception of American publications: In a Different Voice (Gilligan 1982), Non-contractual Society (Held 1987) as well as Moral Boundaries (Tronto 1993) were inspired by Feminism and by a Critique of Contractualism. In particular they broached Issues of whether or not basic Needs get fulfilled. In contrast, the European Research developed in the Context of Welfare State Societies and focussed even more on How Assistance is performed. Several European Scientific Communities share among each other a common Term. The German-Language Discourse, however, developed an internal Terminological Diversity: For example ›Verantwortungsethik‹ aimed for responsibility (Maihofer [1988] 1995), ›Ethik der Achtsamkeit‹ focussed on attentiveness (Conradi 2001), and ›Fürsorge-Ethik‹ on providing assistance and support (Schnabl 2005).

Terms for ›Support‹ as highly ethical important

Sorge Concern Fürsorgliche Praxis (Senghaas-Knobloch) Careful action Tätige Hilfe Help Ansprache, Gespräch, Kontakt intensivieren Communicating Zuhören Listening Versorgen, Versorgung Provisioning, provision Assistenz, Unterstützung Assistance Helfend-versorgende Tätigkeiten Supportive (Inter)activities Selbstsorge, für sich (selbst) sorgen Self Care, to take care of oneself einer Person assistieren to take care for someone für eine Person sorgen, sich um sie kümmern to take care of someone für etwas sorgen to take care for something sich um etwas kümmern to take care of something European Theorists interpret a set of previously rather uncommon …

›Modes, how to support carefully‹ as relevant Ethical Terms

Zuwendung Turning towards someone Achtsamkeit Responsive Connectedness Achtsame Zuwendung (Elisabeth Conradi) Carefully turning towards someone Beachtung, eine Person beachten Dutch: Aandacht (Andries Baart) Umsicht, Sorgsamkeit, Aufmerksamkeit Attentiveness, Attention Begleitung, eine Person begleiten French: accompagnement Berühren, Berührung To keep in touch Präsenz, für eine Person da sein Dutch: presentie (Andries Baart) Resonanz Responsiveness Anteilnahme Caring about sich mithörend einfühlen listen in (Frans Vosman) zugewandt, achtsam, liebevoll careful, attentive etwas wichtig nehmen to care about something bei etwas achtgeben to exercise care in doing something sich bei etwas Mühe geben to take care in doing something European Theorists interpret a set of previously rather uncommon Words for …

Key Terms of the European Ethics of Care

Kontextualität, Kontextbezug Situatedness, Context Sensitivity Urteilen, Phronesis, Urteilskraft Judgement Besonderheit, Einzigartigkeit Particularity and Uniqueness Relationale Verantwortung (Jorma Heier) Relational responsibility Versöhnung und Friedensstiftung Repair Privileg der Verantwortungslosigkeit Privileged irresponsibility (J. Tronto) Partizipative Bedarfserhebung Need Interpretation (Nancy Fraser) Veränderung Transformation Leiblichkeit und Körperpräsenz Embodiment Geschenk, Gabe Gift, Present, Donation Verletzlichkeit, Verletzbarkeit French: Vulnérabilité (Sandra Laugier) Gemeinsames Handeln Collective Interactivities Interrelationalität, Relationalität Interrelationality , Relationality Angewiesenheit Dependency Verbundenheit und Bezogenheit Connectivity, Relatedness European Theorists also use a set of even more comprehensive …

Ethics of Care in Europe: Central Topics

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The Ethics of Care has its central concern in the Appeal to turn towards (Oneself and) Others in form of a Responsive Connectedness. The Ethics of Care has gained insights on:

• the relevance of relatedness for getting into conflicts and for solving them;
• the importance of experience as a source of reflecting on issues;
• the value of repairing and renewing social relations;
• the importance of attentiveness, presence and concern;
• the embodiment of ethical practice, combining hand, hart, and head;
• the request to balance between care for the self and care for others;
• the demand to enable response and to react to the response;
• the awareness that attentiveness remains in the status of power asymmetry

and involves the danger of violence and domination; and

• the impact of responsibility within interpersonal relationships, in
• rganisational settings and in political decision making processes.

The Ethics of Care in Europe: Drawing Distinctions

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The European Discourse has several lines. Some distinctions might be drawn: Zuwendung & Sorge (To turn towards someone & Concern) interpreted as an interactive Practice versus interpreted as an Attitude. Verletzlichkeit, Verwundbarkeit (Vulnerability) interpreted as an anthropological-ontological Condition of Human Beings versus interpreted as a social Condition that Ethicists should take into Consideration. Verbundenheit und Bezogenheit (Relatedness, Connectivity, Relationality) interpreted as a naturally occurring Feeling, that some Human Beings possess in regard to their Relatives versus interpreted as a Conduct of Life and a Praxis that Ethicists should take into Consideration.

The Ethics of Care in Europe: a Critical Concept?

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For many, the Ethics of Care is a Critical Concept. They aim to challenge Power and Privilege, and identify the Transformation of Structures and Institutions necessary to achieve this. → Starting by describing the practice ‘care’ as it is performed in a specific place. → Critically reviewing the conditions of the performance of care. → Generating criteria to evaluate social action as successful or unsuccessful, predications on the quality of care. → Developing standards to improve of organisational, societal as well as political structures and conditions of care. → Reflecting on conditions that need to be changed: expressing and elaborating critique. → Bridging from critique to the thinking about how to improve those conditions that need to be changed.

The Ethics of Care in Europe: Transformation

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The Ethics of Care as an Interdisciplinary Approach evaluates Human Interaction in its Context and aims to conceptually bridge from the Evaluation of Social Action to the Estimation of Societal Structures. The Ethics of Care as a Critical Concept reflects on an aimed at Status of Society that can and should be achieved. In the transformed Society

• different forms of participation of care agents are well-established.
• the participatory sphere is generally broadened.
• a culture of listening and concern flourishes.
• other priorities are assigned and different practices are accomplished
• attentiveness, presence and concern are criteria to evaluate

successful societal interactivities

• social relations are constantly repaired and re-newed.