#ethics of care

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Ubuntu

The philosophy of Ubuntu is a traditional African ethical and philosophical concept that emphasizes community, interconnectedness, and shared humanity. Originating from the Bantu languages of southern Africa, the term "Ubuntu" can be translated as "I am because we are" or "humanity towards others." It reflects the belief that an individual's identity and well-being are deeply rooted in their relationships with others and that the community's welfare is integral to the individual's welfare.

Key Concepts in the Philosophy of Ubuntu:

Interconnectedness:

Communal Identity: Ubuntu posits that individuals are intrinsically linked to their communities. A person is not seen as an isolated entity but as part of a larger social fabric. This interconnectedness means that one's actions affect others, and the community's well-being is vital to each individual's well-being.

Relational Ontology: The concept suggests that being human is fundamentally about relationships with others. One's existence and identity are defined through interaction and connection with other people.

Human Dignity and Respect:

Inherent Worth: Ubuntu emphasizes the inherent dignity of every human being. It advocates for treating others with respect, compassion, and empathy, recognizing that everyone shares a common humanity.

Mutual Respect: In Ubuntu, respect is not merely a social nicety but a fundamental ethical obligation. Treating others with dignity is seen as essential to maintaining harmony and community cohesion.

Collective Responsibility:

Shared Responsibility: Ubuntu promotes the idea that members of a community have a collective responsibility for each other’s welfare. This includes supporting those in need, resolving conflicts through dialogue and reconciliation, and fostering an environment where everyone can thrive.

Ethics of Care: The philosophy encourages an ethic of care, where individuals actively contribute to the well-being of others, understanding that their own well-being is tied to the community's overall health.

Social Harmony and Reconciliation:

Peace and Reconciliation: Ubuntu values social harmony and seeks to resolve conflicts through restorative rather than retributive justice. The goal is to restore relationships and repair the social fabric, often through forgiveness and reconciliation.

Consensus Building: Decision-making within an Ubuntu framework often involves consensus-building processes, where the views of all community members are considered, and solutions are sought that benefit the collective.

Solidarity and Cooperation:

Unity and Cooperation: Ubuntu emphasizes solidarity, cooperation, and unity among people. It encourages collaborative efforts in all aspects of life, from family and community to work and governance, with the understanding that collective action leads to greater success and fulfillment.

Generosity and Sharing: The philosophy promotes generosity and sharing of resources, knowledge, and support, reflecting the belief that prosperity is achieved through collective effort.

Humanism and Morality:

Moral Framework: Ubuntu provides a moral framework that stresses the importance of kindness, generosity, and ethical behavior. It encourages individuals to act in ways that enhance the community’s well-being and to avoid actions that harm others.

Human-Centered Philosophy: Ubuntu is deeply humanistic, focusing on the value and dignity of each person and the importance of fostering positive human relationships.

Application in Modern Contexts:

Leadership and Governance: Ubuntu has been influential in shaping leadership and governance in post-apartheid South Africa and other African nations. Leaders inspired by Ubuntu prioritize the welfare of their people, seek to heal divisions, and promote social justice.

Global Relevance: While rooted in African traditions, the principles of Ubuntu have been embraced globally as a model for ethical leadership, conflict resolution, and community building. It offers a counterpoint to individualistic and competitive models of society by emphasizing cooperation, empathy, and the common good.

Ubuntu in Philosophy and Ethics:

Comparative Ethics: Ubuntu is often compared with other ethical systems, such as Confucianism, which also emphasizes the importance of relationships and community. It offers a unique perspective on ethics that prioritizes collective well-being over individual autonomy.

Challenges and Critiques: Some critiques of Ubuntu focus on its potential for communal pressure to conform, possibly at the expense of individual freedom. Others argue that while Ubuntu provides a strong ethical foundation, it must be adapted to fit modern, diverse societies.

The philosophy of Ubuntu offers a profound and holistic approach to understanding human relationships, ethics, and community. It underscores the importance of interconnectedness, mutual respect, and collective responsibility, providing a framework for fostering social harmony and promoting the common good. Ubuntu's principles are increasingly recognized and applied beyond African contexts, resonating with global movements toward more compassionate, cooperative, and just societies.

[kyriefae]

I interviewed for a job today that I really want.

I genuinely hope I get it. Not because I need a job for it's own sake, because I have that and recognize the privilege I've earned even if it's come at the cost of sacrificing my time for a position that wastes my potential-- I digress.

I really, really want to work in a way I'm helping people. I live in a world determined by liars and cheats but that doesn't change anything about my existential project.

Point of the matter is: I can't believe I haven't brought up The Good Place in job interviews before.

If I don't land this job, which will hurt like no other, I am going to set a plan to always find a way to interject something straight out of The Good Place. Even if it's just a line from Kristen Bell.

p.s. - one of my interviewers reciprocated my humor (which is so Eleanor btw) and I just have my hopes located in an upward direction for the first time in too long

[bubblewhale]

Im reading Caren Gilligan's book: Ina a Different Voice. Talking about a poc mother that rather killed her daughter than to let her live in slavery. There is a great tension inside a person living in oppresive society, and the need for separation and personal power that the systemic opression is built on. So by commiting the most horrible crime of killing or rape, this person drasticaly severes themselves from the relationship with the other/loved one. The most painful part is the level of dissociation from self that takes place in order to be able to do this act. Anyways this post is about Sasuke and his wish to severe his last standing connection to Naruto by killing him, in order to seperate and gain power in society. And it's also about the level of dissociation from self that would be necessary in order to do this, and the level of emotional release, authenticity and vulnerability that comes from accepting his bond with Naruto in the end. By choosing relationship and connection over the pain and destruction of dissociation, he chose love and true morality and himself.

[thebtseffect]

Care-full Fandom: BTS, ARMY, and the Ethics of Care 

originally presented at the 2022 Northeast and American Popular Culture Association conference

BTS's impeccable performances, healing messages, and never-ending list of "firsts" are a testament to the group's impact on the global pop culture landscape. Although the scale of their success has led to discussions surrounding the "BTS phenomenon" and ARMY fandom, there is a need for deeper considerations of BTS's impact on the nature of their fandom. How and why are ARMY influenced by BTS? Drawing on the concept of ethics of care, this presentation aims to delve into how BTS embodies care and how ARMY reflects those expressions of care.

[kyriefae]

My love for this show having an impact at sharing moral philosophy in a popular setting knows no bounds.

Especially when it's the moral philosophies that inspire humanism, ethics of care, existential projects, and anti-nihilism.

My sweet Chidi. 🥹

The Good Place (2016-2020)

[figuringoutstill]

"All too often our mode of listening deteriorates into intellectual sorting, with the professional grabbing the veterans’ words from the air and sticking them into mental bins . We assume we know what we’re hearing, that we don’t really have to listen, that we’ve heard it all before ... (We) resemble museum-goers whose whole experience consists of mentally saying, ‘That’s cubist! That’s El Greco!’ and who never see anything they’ve looked at ... listening in this way, destroys trust .”

Jonathan Shay (in Achilles in Vietnam)

[philosophicalcrumbs]

Can you conceive the existence of a being who is incapable of caring for anyone? To be completely devoid of empathy and love?

For the purpose however, of diagnosing the terminal stage of any relationship: it makes it easy to identify whether some cares for you or not, for care is the primary symptom of a being who loves.

Jennifer Chang, from "Dialogues (Against Literature)"

[enigmaris]

Superboy Prime punched through the multiverse. This, of course, defeated the enemy he was fighting that was trying to destroy the world, but multidimensional punches dont just affect the mortal plane.

The ghost zone, the infinite realms, felt the punch like a nuclear blast. Haunts destroyed, ghosts displaced through time and space. It was chaos.

Whats worse? Danny's friend is missing.

Danny had met Robin in the GZ during one of his adventures, the two dead teen vigilantes took to each other like ducks to water. Danny helped Robin learn about being a ghost and Robin taught Danny life skills such as: throwing a punch, lockpicking, and how not to fall for obvious traps that villians set up.

Even Sam and Tucker had met Robin, although since Robin was such a new ghost he wasnt strong enough to leave the zone for long. Young ghosts (halfas aside) needed to spend the first decade or two in the zone before they were stable enough to go back to the mortal side. Danny had offered to fly to gotham with a message for batman, but robin had declined.

Batman and he had had a fight before he died, the guy probably didnt want to see or hear about the robin that failed after all.

Robin had forbidden Danny and the others from looking into Gotham.

Danny would not be in Gotham if his friend hadn't disappeared after the sonic attack that had rocked the ghost zone. He had no idea who Robin had been under the mask. Even in death, his friend had not shared his secret identity. But Danny needed to find his friend before he destabilized into ectoplasmic goop.

So now Danny has to find Batman, convince the guy that ghosts are real and that his adopted son Robin is a ghost. He manages to find the bat signal on top of the GCPD and hails the hero.

Who has a new robin with him.

It hadnt even been a year!!! Batman had replaced his friend with a younger model, this one was wearing pants instead of shorts!! What the hell!!!

Danny is so offended that if he didn't need Batman's help to save Robin, he would so punch the guy in the face. Multiple times.

Danny explains the problem to Batman and FAKE Robin all while keeping his cool.

"His ghost probably ended up near his grave. Just get me to the cemetery, if he's there, i can find him and save him before he fades forever."

Batman agrees.

Internally, Bruce is bluescreening. His mind is just thinking: Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason! Over and over again. He needed to get to his son. Right now.

Tim wasn't expecting his first mission as Robin to go like this, he had just finished his training, but nothing he had trained for prepared him for a ghost that told him that he met Jason while fighting a magic ghost dragon.

When all three get to the cemetary, they find Jason Todd's grave empty. A hole in the grass, just wide enough for a person to crawl through. The casket has a hole punched through it. Parts of the suit Jason was buried in were torn off and caught on splinters of the wood.

"I am gonna be honest. I did not know zombies were a thing." said the ghost.

With that, all hell breaks loose in Gotham.

[delicourse]

i miss them a little if im gonna be honest

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Duty

The philosophy of duty, often referred to as "deontology," explores the nature and basis of moral obligations and the principles that define actions as morally required or prohibited. In this framework, duty represents an ethical imperative to act in accordance with certain principles or rules, regardless of personal desires or outcomes.

Key Aspects of the Philosophy of Duty

Moral Obligation: Duty is often seen as an inherent moral obligation that individuals must follow to act ethically. Unlike approaches that focus on outcomes or character, duty-based ethics focus on adherence to rules or principles as the basis for moral action.

Deontological Ethics: Immanuel Kant is a major figure in duty-based ethics. He argued that moral laws are categorical imperatives, meaning they apply universally and unconditionally. According to Kant, actions should be performed out of respect for moral law, not based on their consequences.

Intention and Autonomy: In duty-based ethics, an individual’s intention is crucial. Doing something because it is one’s duty reflects moral autonomy, as opposed to being driven by external forces, emotions, or self-interest.

Universality: Deontology emphasizes the idea that duty is universal. Kant’s categorical imperative holds that one should act only according to maxims that can be universally applied, meaning actions should be considered acceptable if everyone were to act in the same way.

Rights and Justice: Duty-based philosophies often emphasize individual rights and justice. Duties define what actions we owe to others, and by respecting duties, we uphold justice, treating others with fairness and respect.

Conflicting Duties: One challenge in duty-based ethics is resolving conflicts between duties. For example, one may face a conflict between the duty to tell the truth and the duty to protect another person’s wellbeing. Different approaches to duty provide various solutions, sometimes allowing for exceptions, or ranking duties in order of importance.

Beyond Self-Interest: The philosophy of duty implies a transcendence of self-interest, prioritizing actions that benefit others or society, even at personal cost. Duty-based ethics emphasizes that one’s duty is to do what is morally right, even when it may conflict with personal desires or interests.

Duty in Different Philosophical and Cultural Contexts

Eastern Philosophies: In Hinduism, the concept of dharma represents duty aligned with moral, social, and cosmic laws. Similarly, Confucianism emphasizes social duty, particularly in relationships, where acting out of respect and fulfilling one’s role in society reflects virtue.

Existentialism and Duty: Existentialist thinkers challenge traditional concepts of duty by emphasizing individual freedom and choice. Jean-Paul Sartre argued that individuals must create their own values rather than conforming to pre-existing moral codes.

Modern Perspectives: Contemporary deontologists build on Kant’s ideas but often adapt them to address social justice and rights issues, such as the duty to protect human rights, environmental ethics, and global responsibility.

Duty and the Ethics of Care

While traditional duty-based ethics focuses on impartial rules, the ethics of care emphasizes duty within personal relationships, focusing on empathy, compassion, and the obligations that naturally arise in caring relationships.

The philosophy of duty invites us to act beyond immediate gain, considering what it means to act rightly and fulfill moral obligations for their own sake. In doing so, it shapes how we conceive our responsibilities to ourselves, others, and society.

[kyriefae]

Unpopular, yet fun opinion time: I believe that hot dogs are sandwiches, chili is soup, and chili dogs are a soup/sandwich combo you're able to eat with your hands and sprinkle cheese on top for fun.

I think that's great.

...also straws? They have zero holes.

Okay, buh bye!!

[leadingincontext]

Ethical Leaders Care (Part 2)

By Linda Fisher Thornton Leading With Care Using an ethics of care changes how we think and act as leaders. It helps us remember that each person is important and that treating each other with care is part of our shared human experience. Caring shows that we know that people are more than task-doers and that leading is more than tactical, more than obligatory, and more than just a…

[kyriefae]

This.

Relatability up to 100%.

You wanna know what? An eventuality? How about we focus on what we do together? Yeah? Let's win!

Love 13 🥹

thirteen's era appreciation: 448/?

[bedupolker]

the "the message of madoka magica is that girls shouldn't wish for things" take is kinda wild to me because literally the first wish we get to see is a teen girl who was dying in a car crash and wished "I dont want to die in this car crash"

[darthfoil]

"Now, when I say care, I’m using it as a loaded word to mean: the ways in which we support people, fully and wholly, love them unconditionally, and incorporate them into the fabric of our lives. "Care, as I am describing, is almost always reserved for romantic relationships."

Source : Decrying Desirability, Demanding Care by Samantha Marie Nock

Scary for those of us without those relationships.