Dependency Care in a Politically Liberal Society

Abstract

Caregiving is crucial for any society; however, it often goes unnoticed and unanalyzed within theories of justice. Asha Bhandary's theory of liberal dependency care seeks to both rectify the invisibility of care and defend principles of justice for caregiving arrangements by arguing for several important modifications to John Rawls's theory of justice. In this article, I analyze Bhandary's modifications to Rawls's theory to consider how well liberal dependency care fits into a broader political liberal framework, while still securing protection against oppression. I also evaluate the permissibility and limits of teaching children autonomy and caregiving skills in a politically liberal society.