THE ETHICS OF CARE AND SOLICITUDE: CONTRIBUTIONS TO A RELATIONAL ANTHROPOLOGY OF RESPONSIBILITY
THE ETHICS OF CARE AND SOLICITUDE: CONTRIBUTIONS TO A RELATIONAL ANTHROPOLOGY OF RESPONSIBILITY

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the dialogue between the ethics of care and Paul Ricoeur’s philosophy of solicitude, aiming to outline a relational anthropology of responsibility with special attention to its pedagogical implications. It argues that contemporary ethics must move beyond the modern paradigm of the autonomous subject by recognizing vulnerability and interdependence as constitutive dimensions of human existence. Through the contributions of key thinkers in care ethics—such as Gilligan, Noddings, Tronto, and Kittay—the study shows how moral life is grounded in relational practices of attention, responsiveness, and care. This perspective is further deepened through Ricoeur’s hermeneutics of the self, particularly his concept of solicitude, which articulates a reciprocal relation between self-esteem and care for the other. The article concludes that solicitude provides a philosophical mediation between vulnerability and autonomy, allowing for a coherent integration of care ethics into a broader theory of moral responsibility, social justice, and pedagogical practice.

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