ABSTRACT
When thinking of a philosophy to consult for a considered position on human need and moral responses thereto, Kantian ethics is not the fi rst system that springs to mind. A more likely candidate would be feminist care ethics, perhaps the philosophy most concerned with meeting needs and with appropriate action regarding human dependence. Born of a perceived resonance between the two, the next two chapters meld the insights of both approaches into a hybrid account. The argument ahead will emphasize not only that we must meet others’ needs (presented in this chapter through an account of the duty to care) but also that how we meet others’ needs requires moral refl ection and a special kind of moral commitment (presented in Chapter Three through a consideration of the manner of meeting needs).
