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Moral Boundaries

Joan Tronto

Political ethic of care

It is a foundational text of the political ethic of care and its challenge to mainstream moral theory.

Synopsis

An argument that care is a central political and moral value, and that relegating it to private life sustains injustice.

Core passage idea

Paraphrase · Modern copyrighted work

Care is not a private sentiment but a public practice, and the way societies distribute caring work reflects and reinforces power.

It reframes who does caring labor as a question of justice rather than personal virtue.

To avoid a bubble

Pair with Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice.

Reading note

Track how it moves care from the margins of ethics to the center of political argument.

Best paired with

Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice

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