The Maternal Factor - 9780520265509

In this provocative new book, renowned educator and philosopher Nel Noddings extends her influential work on the ethics of care toward a compelling objective---global peace and justice. She asks: If we celebrate the success of women becoming more like men in professional life, should we not simultaneously hope that men become more like women---in caring for others, rejecting violence, and valuing the work of caring both publicly and personally? Drawing on current work on evolution, Noddings develops an answer to this question by locating one source of morality in maternal instinct. She traces the development of the maternal instinct to natural caring and ethical caring, and offers a preliminary sketch of what a care-driven concept of justice might look like. Finally, to promote the causes of caring, peace, and women's advancement, Noddings urges women to abandon institutional, patriarchal religion and to seek their own paths to spirituality.

"Nel Noddings delves deeper into the study of care ethics, an area she pioneered, and emerges with new, sure to be controversial ideas on gender differences, moral development, and caring. Anyone interested in these topics will want to read this book." Michael Slote, author of The Ethics of Care and Empathy

"This work from one of America's most prominent intellectual figures is sure to change how we understand ethical and moral evolution." Jean Watson, University of Colorado, Denver