Caring (name of the Book) – By Nel Noddings

Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics & Moral Education
Name
Institution
In her work “Caring, a feminine approach to ethics and moral education”; Nel Noddings disputes the existence of any system that examines the requirements for caring. Her argumentation that caring is more of the feminine ethics than the masculine ethics based on the fact that mothers have stronger feelings than fathers who believe in justice and fairness (Noddings, 1984). This then means that the principles and justice is the foundation upon which morals which are masculine are rooted. On the other hand, the feminine ethics are based on the responsiveness, relatedness, and the receptivity. Noddings associate the act of caring to be feminine though she does not imply that only mothers can do care, but for a long time it has been perceived to be a role of mothers.
Noddings presents various ideas in her work the main idea being the ethics of caring. By examining the ethics of care, Noddings gives care a different notion from what it has been believed to base on the moral principles and reasoning. Instead, she claims those intending to care should do so based on the existing personal decision. According to what Nodding presents, the essence of caring is engulfed in the engrossment the caregivers have towards those being taken care off (Noddings, 1984). It then means that, for ethics of care, anyone intending to care about a person does it not based on the moral values and principles but based on the emotional feelings towards a person.

Noddings argues that there are no automatic similarities in conditions and situations surrounding ethical and moral acts. Therefore, her discussion of care, Nodding gives it a more ethical dimension than moral dimension due to the emotional feeling arising from engrossment towards a person. She, however, disregards moral values and principal and the universal applications of these aspects in caring.
In her work as well, Noddings brings out the ideas of natural and ethical caring and examines the two from different perspectives. She associates natural caring to the use “I want.” The caregiver when notes a need to give care naturally wants to do it. On the other hand ethical caring dictates the one giving the care to do it to one in need of the care. However, ethical caring depends on the natural caring. The ideas on the ethics of care are important contributors, especially in the education. In education, ethics of care obligates that things should be done right for those doing them and those for which things are being done right for. It as well allows the educators rightly respond to the needs of the students through ethics of care.
The author, Noddings presents various arguments and evidence regarding the ideas surrounding the ethics of care. When Noddings argues that the act of care is more feminine than masculine then is in line with the mothers as the first caregivers to the baby until they reach the age when they can do things on their own. However, a lot of weakness comes out of her work in that the model relationships of care she presents are not equal and brings a wrong understanding of caring. These relationships portray the one caring for another as a dominant and tend to choose for the cared for who is portrayed as dependent on limited options. Practically, the ideas presented by Nodding have the great potential of being implemented in the education where the educators can provide the needs of students (Noddings, 1984). For instance, special students may need more special care. Therefore, when designing lesson plans, teachers need to accommodate the needs of the students well.
In summary, Noddings feels caring is simple and should not be subjected to any systematic examination. Feminine ethics of care regards having feelings towards the cared for that is why Noddings associates caring to mothers than to fathers whom she believes practice ethics of care based on equity, justice and fairness. She further distinguishes morals from ethics and associates moral with masculine which involves application of principles and justice. Ethics on the other hand is feminine and simply requires receptivity and responsiveness. Noddings further throws in the line between natural caring and ethical caring where she associates natural caring to “I want” and ethical caring to “I must”. Noddings as well presents two ideas of motivational displacement and engrossment. She claims that the motives of the caring person are displaced once they become engrossed with the people they are offering care. Her presentation intends to improve the teacher- student relationship in education where the teacher takes role as the caring and the student as the cared- for.

Reference
Noddings, N. (1984). Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics & Moral Education.