Neoliberal policies around the globe have made caring more difficult. Yet, many scholars seem to have accepted neoliberalism as an inescapable reality. This article argues against this view. Instead, it suggests that care stands as a major alternative way to the neoliberal paradigm, both conceptually and historically. Formulating a conceptual account of people as homines curans (caring people) and drawing upon Polanyi’s history of market ideologies, the article argues that a democratic form of care – which makes the reallocation of care responsibilities its central concern – can provide the basis for a theoretical challenge to neoliberalism.
The best framework for moral and political thought is the one that creates the best climate for good political judgments. I argue that universalistic theories of justice fall short in this regard because they cannot distinguish idealization from abstraction. After describing how an ethic of care guides judgments, I suggest the practical effects that make this approach preferable. The ethic of care includes more aspects of human life in making political judgments.
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