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CHAPTER 8 Feminist Ethics and the Ethics of Care
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Feminist Ethics
A. Overview
B. General Characteristics
II. The Ethics of Care
A. Psychological Evidence
B. The Ethic of Justice and the Ethic of Care
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Alison M. Jaggar writes that Western moral theory has tended to
a. prioritize virtue ethics.
b. emphasize character traits usually associated with women.
c. ignore “masculine” values.
d. embody “masculine” values.
2. Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of ideal theories of ethics that
feminist thinkers have criticized?
a. They assume that the world consists of atomistic individuals with perfect rationality.
b. They conceive of individuals living in a society without oppression.
c. They depict individuals as having contempt for women.
d. They characterize moral agents as unaffected by poor living conditions and unjust institutions.
3. The ethics of care is a perspective on ethics that highlights the
a. need for ethics in health care.
b. insignificance of ethics in caring for others.
c. lack of male perspectives in ethics.
d. importance of personal relationships and virtues such as compassion and kindness.
4. Carol Gilligan calls the approach to ethics that focuses on being aware of people’s feelings,
needs, and viewpoints
a. virtue ethics. c. the greatest happiness principle.
b. the ethic of care. d. the categorical imperative.
5. Which of the following is NOT true of the ethic of care?
a. It is a reminder that caring is a vital and inescapable part of the moral life.
b. It is an example of feminist ethics.
c. It contrasts dramatically with traditional moral theories preoccupied with principles and legalistic moral reasoning.
d. It emphasizes rule-following, especially rules found in codes of ethics.
6. One hard fact that feminist ethicists are responding to is that, even today, most women in
the world are viewed as
a. more ethical than men. c. equal citizens.
b. more important than men. d. second-class citizens.
7. Julie considers herself an advocate of feminist ethics. Therefore, she should
a. support the moral equality of men and women.
b. advocate for the superiority of women over men.
c. reject all moral principles in favor of gut feelings.
d. disregard all psychological evidence about differences between men and women.
8. Feminist ethicists argue that the ________ sphere be given at least as much consideration in
morality as the sphere of the public.
a. legal c. historical
b. religious d. private
9. Franco has decided he wants to adopt the ethics of care. He is now deliberating about
whether to voice a controversial view during a get-together with his family. In order to apply
the ethics of care, he should focus more on how
a. his right to free speech would be affected by his decision.
b. his autonomy would be violated if he decided to stay silent.
c. his opinion might negatively affect family members he cares about.
d. he should follow certain rules.
10. The most obvious example of a relationship that is the focus of the ethics of care would be
a. caring about whether people think you’re smart.
b. caring for one’s child.
c. taking care of an antique car.
d. caring about the pollution levels in the air.
11. Suppose a Kantian says that we are never morally permitted to lie. An ethicist of care would
a. disagree in cases where telling the truth would unnecessarily make an innocent person suffer.
b. disagree in cases where lying could benefit the decision maker.
c. agree because lying is always a result of not caring enough.
d. agree because lying would never be the compassionate thing to do.
12. Annette C. Baier argues that in moral theory there is a place for both
a. care and justice. c. care and virtue.
b. justice and consequences. d. virtue and consequences.
13. One of the implications of assuming an idealized view of human beings is that one is unable to
a. recognize morally right actions.
b. follow social rules intended for the benefit of all.
c. maintain meaningful personal relationships.
d. acknowledge oppression and poverty when it is present.
TRUE/FALSE
1. Feminist ethics is a moral theory.
2. Most of the great ethical theorists of the past have assumed that women are morally inferior to men—that is, less mature, less
important, and less rational than men.
3. Feminist ethics narrows the area of moral concern from what we call “public life” to the interconnected and familiar small group—the
people with whom we have close personal relationships.
4. All feminist ethicists reject the traditional role played by principles in moral reasoning.
5. We are naturally impartial toward the interests of our friends and family, which, according to feminist philosophers, is a reason to
adopt the ethical theories of Kant and Mill.
6. The psychologist Carol Gilligan upended the belief that men and women think in radically different ways when making moral
decisions when she argued that men and women think in exactly the same ways about morality.
7. Virginia Held insists that moralities built on the image of the independent, autonomous, rational individual are clear and powerful
ways of thinking about ethics.
8. Unlike Kant, who maintained that reason is all that is necessary for making moral decisions, feminist ethicists insist that emotion
should play a role, too.
9. The ethics of care might be thought of as an essential element of virtue ethics.
SHORT ANSWER
1. ________ is an approach to ethics focused on women’s interests and experiences.
2. Carol Gilligan called the approach to morality that emphasized rights and rules over caring
and relationships an ethic of ________.
