A critique of the notion of human dependence in Rousseau’s Emile from the ethics of care perspective
Keywords:
Rousseau, dependency, care ethics, Émile, education, KittayAbstract
This paper critiques the notion of dependency as understood by Rousseau in Émile. In his ideal model of the “good savage” Rousseau rejects human dependency as inherently immoral and a cause of one person’s domination over another, thus contributing to the construction of the modern, autonomous, and self-sufficient individual. In contrast, the ethics of care conceives of dependency as an unavoidable aspect of human existence that should be incorporated into ethical and political discourse. I will draw upon some texts by Eva Feder Kittay to build this critique, specifically The Moral Significance of Being Human and Love’s Labor: Essays on Women, Equality, and Dependency.
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