This paper is on the issue of feminist morality. The paper provides arguments on the feminist critique of rights and the ethics of care. There is a detailed account of the tensions, differences that exists between ethics of care and rights ethics. Held makes significant contributions to the field of ethics of care. Held provides an account that is strategic and offers a framework that is consistent with the ethics of care. Likewise Samantha Brennan tries to champion the rights of women through feminist issues in the use of feminist ethics and feminist politics. Moral values that characterize care and justice are used to extensively embody the values brought about by Held. Feminism is considered as a way through which hierarchies of gender can be broken up. The feminist theory intends to change the perception of male domination and the presumptions of domination (Held p.66). Care of ethics should be a provision for all individuals that should include the interdependent realm and must be well taken care of to achieve transformations (Held p.66). The aim of this paper therefore is to provide an argumentative justification of the rights of women through feminist theorists.
Human rights have had continued critiques on the advancements and importance of feminist ethics. Male interests are usually predominantly placed as a hierarchical need though there continues to be efforts by feminists to help transform the nature of these current oppressive attitudes. Held forms a basis for the criticism of rights and criticizes rights from two perspectives. The criticism is from the use of skepticism on the rights based on traditional theory and moral theories to indicate how the system actually favors the patriarchal system and is a structure that is based on power. The account of feminist Held is mainly focused on the significance of the ethics of care and their direct responsibilities towards the development of justice and care. The aim of the paper is to ascertain whether Held is successful in providing knowledge and response to the feminist critiques. Traditional moral theory has taken precedence over the care ethics as this is often a powerful alteration and correction to the traditional moral theory. Globalization of ethics of care is a key parameter that is used to interrogate the normal traditional theory.
Rights are fundamental tenets in society that assist in the issuance of justice as they help represent contrasting ideals. Equality of rights is a basic commonality that should be enjoyed by all individuals and this approach should be utilized to ensure justice is afforded to all persons irrespective of race or gender (Neimanis, p.6). Rights are conceived for the betterment of society and individuals while institutions are mandated to maintain the rights of individuals. Rights are justifiable through the use of ethical arguments that aids in the emphasis of interdependence of liberties both civil and political. Rights are grounded on the judgment of individual’s moral values and the best possible outcomes and capabilities in one’s life. The spheres of justice argues that there needs to be constant relations from all spheres of life on the basis of rights. However there are criticisms on the issue of rights. Feminists form some of the most criticizing elements of rights. They criticize rights on the perspective of their nature and criticism aspects.
Liberal rights are under very heavy criticism as there is use of impartial justice and autonomy while there are regards to the individualistic rights based on traditional theories. The theories are too mainstream and are not flexible yet they remain as heavily impractical and lead to the development of moral problems that have negative consequences in the society (Brennan p.262). In such context therefore it can be argued that rights may somehow be an expression of male bias as the male gender in society is often privileged while suppressing the concerns of women. This causes the neglect of the females thus relegating them to be secondary items in society while infringing on public morality.
The ethics of care is developed to deliver satisfaction to the requirements of impartial morality while ensuring that all parties are morally catered for and their needs are taken care of through the upholding of their rights to observe abstract universality while maintaining relationships between the sexes (Brennan p.271). Traditional moral theory supposes that women may be morally deficient but what is required is to ensure that their wellbeing is catered for and preserved. Moral issues should be addressed irrespective of the fact that we are all morally upright individuals and cannot be equally adept in what we do, however, provision of opportunities should usurp such thoughts.
Brennan furthers the notion on feminist rights by reconciling moral theories that incorporate rights as a component with rights criticisms. Brennan provides the opinion that moral theory can incorporate rights as a moral perspective. According to her, feminist theory should act in conjunction with the morals and political inclinations that exist in society (Brennan 260). This stance assists in the prevention of feminist rights advocates to isolation. Political debate should remain informed on the rights that feminists advocate for, while feminists should be ready to understand the theories brought forth by such individuals. Morals that feminists advocate for can then be discussed together with political philosophers once to determine their flexibility. Women rights can then be accorded by the government if calculative steps are followed in getting the rights.
Moral concepts should be considered as to be incorporative of rights that can be used as an accounting measure for some of the injustices suffered by women. The moral rights that affect the integrity of infringement should be taken to be a violation of an aspect of right. Application of rights to the moral situations that women find themselves probably elicits the right views in the desired manner (Brennan p.261)
Care ethicists consider that moral theories may be poor models for relational care in an independent society. Care is fundamental for morality as a form of justice and this conceptualization is critical to ensure the necessary problems and promises are well presented. Held insists that feminists are well aware of the challenges that they face and know the critical role played by rights that assists in achieving their aims. Equality may range from maternity leaves and the equality for child rights (Lugones, p.4). There is a lot of emphasis that is placed on the centralization of the arguments on rights and in the movement that can assist drive social changes that is inclusive of the struggle for justice in the global village. Relationship context however pose a significant hardship for the centrality of rights as moral issues may arise in a relationship context as ethics of care may be deemed to be very appropriate. Rights are not fixed as there is struggle in attaining the rights that one desires. Reformulation of existing schemes is fundamental in the maintenance of concepts that help reach the legal limits. Care and justice are essentially very substantial theories that affect morality.
Liberal theorists argue from their own points of view in which they deem rights in various mannerisms that they form have the legal acclaim to the moral theories. Ethics of care can be used to bring about a transformative agenda that will encompass the facilitation of the issuance of rights to all parties so that none may feel aggrieved. The moral tradition theories are limited in scope and should not be used in the determination of rights that may transform the society. The potential that moral theory tends to hold against traditional theory is effectively substantive and enforceable. Rights must be bitterly fought for against a myriad of negative clamor to refute the issuance and affording of such rights. Care ethics is important in the cultivation of the moral ethics that will assist in shaping the political and moral outlook. However Held should not limit the reluctance of rights in getting the best desired outcomes from the case point scenarios (Held p.55). Care should be embodied in the pursuit of the moral theories that are existent in society. Flaws should be left exposed and no stones should go unturned in the exposure of traditional theories and their weak discourse and consequent practices. There is still room for more expansion into the checking and determination of the growing influence of care and the advancement of such theories to improve the overall outlook of such decisions.
Moral practice can be developed and used as a transformative strategy that will considerably provide guidance while giving solutions to moral problems that can be used to restructure cultural practices and social and political inputs. A caring society that is democratically and considerably run and is accountable and all rights are shared in equality is what is required. The value of care is a primary predominant issue in the provision of justice for feminist theorists. Moral thinking is a course of action that leads to imperialistic thinking that is beneficial to the pursuance of goals. Moral problems can be solved through an understanding of the required moral issues. Moral progressiveness and moral power stem from the provision of rights that can be used to bring forth the issue of rights and the provision of care services as well as being at ease with the realm (Lugones, p.12). In the public domain there is need to create an effective framework from which there are stated goals that care practices can help in their achievement.
Moral and political care theories are the steps that should be undertaken to limit the use of traditional theories. Utility and virtues are predominantly important to base care considerations that assist in the pursuance of justice. Care should be viewed as both a practice and a normative value that can be integrated to form the core values that feminists would require. Different considerations should be placed to widen the commitments that accrue from meeting the wellbeing and self-justification of norms in the society. Rights and justice are in equality of the provided moral framework context in which individuals are involved in. Rejection of some of the rights is wrong and care should be taken to aid in the use of such rights to further their moral obligations.
Values of care and justice are equally important. Liberal concerns should be left aside and there should be room provided for the provision of substantive conception of rights. It is however not being argued that care should replace justice in any manner, however, insisting that care is a central concept to the improvement of rights issued to different partners in the society. Inequalities between the sexes will be addressed through taking the standpoint of use of care ethics and rights have a central concept to play in the society. The global status afforded to moral rights is therefore inclusive of the world affairs and the global scenarios that affect human rights. The discourse that is in the public domain should serve as a reminder that rights should be considered from all perspectives irrespective of the beliefs of the world.
Moral expectations should provide parameters that are relative to the course of normal principles of ethics that should be practices worldwide. Care is all encompassing and inclusive of all the required indicators that need to be taken into account. Values can be expressly be acknowledged and their exploration in the pursuance of rights is a central theme towards their attainment. In conclusion there needs to be related efforts to ensure that rights are expressly defined from all stakeholders. Care and rights are in tandem and there requires the need to conjoin the two to form a basic rights system that is considerate of all parties. The realization of rights in the world is lacking as there is need to provide rights to individuals in society while providing constructive criticism for feminists to be able to spread opportunities across the board. The two authors provide effective arguments towards the betterment of moral theories that affect society and in particular feminist theorists
Works Cited.
Held, Virginia. The ethics of care: Personal, political, and global. Oxford University Press, 2005.
Lugones, Maria. "Playfulness,“world”‐travelling, and loving perception."Hypatia 2.2 (1987): 3-19.
Neimanis, Astrida. "Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth edited by Carol J. Adams and Lori Gruen." The Goose 14.1 (2015): 20.
Brennan, S., 1999. Reconciling Feminist Politics and Feminist Ethics on the Issue of
Rights. Journal of Social Philosophy, 30(2), pp.260-275.
