The Heart of Justice: Care Ethics and Political Theory

The Heart of Justice provides the first full account of the institutions and policies of a caring society, and should be of interest to anyone concerned with the nature of our moral obligations and the institutions of a just society. Integrating the insights of earlier care theorists with the aims of traditional justice theorists, Engster forges a new synthesis between care and justice, and argues that the institutional and policy commitments of care theory must be recognized as fundamental to any consistent theory of justice.

Engster begins by offering a practice-based account of caring and a theory of obligation that explains why individuals should care for others. He then systematically demonstrates the implications of this account of caring for domestic politics, economics, international relations, and culture. In each of these areas, he reviews the contributions of earlier care theorists and then extends their arguments to provide a more complete description of the institutions and policies of a caring society. Care ethics is further put in dialogue with diverse cultural and religious traditions and used to address the challenges of multicultural justice, cultural relativism, and international human rights.