Noddings

Noddings is an American philosopher and educator best known for developing the ethics of care, a framework that emphasizes relational duties and responsiveness to those in need. The ethic of care centers on the idea that moral action arises from caring relationships rather than from abstract, universal rules alone.

A central feature of Noddings’ approach is the distinction between natural caring and ethical caring. Natural caring refers to the motivation that arises within a relationship to respond to another’s needs, while ethical caring is the consciously chosen obligation to fulfill those needs within the context of that relationship. The core concept is the caring relation, typically between a caregiver and someone who is cared for, in which attentive responsiveness and a genuine concern for the other’s well-being guide moral life. Critics have argued that care ethics can be partial or particularist, but Noddings maintains that care is a practiced moral stance that requires attentiveness, competence, and reciprocity.

In education and public life, Noddings argued that caring should ground moral education, professional practice, and social policy. Her work has influenced fields such as nursing, social work, and teacher education, where relational dynamics and responsive ethics remain central.

Selected works include Caring: A Relational Approach to Ethics and Moral Education (1984). Noddings’ contributions have shaped ongoing discussion about how care and justice intersect in ethical and political theory.