Cultivating Moral Care: The Five Virtues

Understanding the concept of care extends beyond interpersonal relationships; it encompasses our responsibility towards the environment and social institutions. Care, defined as a moral imperative, involves maintaining, containing, and repairing our world to enhance our quality of life. To foster moral maturity through an ethics of care, one should reflect on moral exemplars in their life and identify the skills they possess that one may lack. Philosophers Joan Tronto and Bernice Fisher identify five essential virtues for applying an ethics of care: attentiveness, responsibility, competence, responsiveness, and plurality. Each of these virtues is crucial for nurturing a profound sense of moral obligation towards others and the broader community.