INDIVIDUAL, SOCIETY AND THE ETHICS OF CARE

Learning objectives

The course The Individual, Society and the Ethics of Care aims to provide historical, philosophical and conceptual tools for understanding the Greek roots of psychological thought, different conceptions of the individual, and the ethical significance of caring relationships.

Through Mario Vegetti’s essay Corpo e anima and the PowerPoint materials prepared by the lecturer on the Greek origins of psychology, the course will trace the emergence and transformations of the concept of the soul, from its origins to Neoplatonism. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between body and soul, philosophical and medical-naturalistic interpretations of mental life, and the gradual development of conceptions of individual identity and relationships with others.

The study of Luigina Mortari’s Filosofia della cura will enable students to explore the ontological, anthropological and ethical foundations of care, with particular reference to vulnerability, interdependence and responsibility towards oneself and others. The course aims to develop a critical understanding of the philosophical assumptions underlying psychological knowledge and of the relevance of the ethics of care to personal and social relationships.

1. Knowledge and understanding

By the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Greek roots of psychological thought, the principal ancient conceptions of the soul and its relationship with the body, and their implications for understanding the individual and social life. They will also be able to identify and discuss the philosophical foundations of the ethics of care, demonstrating an understanding of vulnerability, interdependence and responsibility. They will be able to identify connections and differences between the ancient conceptions and the contemporary perspectives examined during the course, distinguishing their respective historical and conceptual contexts

Course contents

The course is divided into two parts, connected by an examination of the individual, the relational dimension of existence, and the ethical foundations of care.

1. The Greek origins of psychology: soul, body and the individual

Through the study of Mario Vegetti’s essay Corpo e anima, provided by the lecturer as a PDF, and the accompanying PowerPoint materials on the Greek origins of psychology, the following topics will be addressed:

• The emergence of the concept of the soul in Greek culture and its transformations from its origins to Neoplatonism.

• Philosophical, medical and naturalistic interpretations of mental life.

• The relationship between body and soul and different conceptions of the human being.

• Soul and individual identity: understanding oneself, one’s actions and one’s relationships with others.

• The contribution of ancient thought to the development of psychological terminology and questions, with due attention to the differences between ancient and modern conceptions.

2. The individual, relationships and the ethics of care

The second part will focus on Luigina Mortari’s Filosofia della cura, following four thematic areas corresponding to the book’s chapters:

• Ontological reasons for care. The centrality of care in human existence; its different orientations; the relational constitution of the individual and the conditions of dependence and vulnerability.

• The essence of good care. Phenomenological inquiry and its criteria; the defining features of caring practices and their ethical dimension.

• The ethical core of care. Responsibility towards others; attentiveness to concrete situations; generosity, respect and courage in action.

• The concrete manifestations of the essence of care. The ways in which care takes shape: attention and listening, communication and understanding, emotional engagement, a balance between closeness and distance, gentleness and firmness. The commitment and effort involved in caring relationships.

Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between individual identity and social bonds, responsibility towards vulnerable people, and the relevance of these themes to education in psychology.

1. Mario Vegetti, Anima e corpo, in M. Vegetti (ed.), Il sapere degli antichi, Bollati Boringhieri, Turin 1992, pp. 201–228 (the PDF will be made available by the lecturer on Studium or Moodle).

2. Luigina Mortari, Filosofia della cura, Raffaello Cortina, Milan 2015.

   Abstract: Some things are essential to human life. Care is among them, because to give shape to our possibilities of being, we must care for ourselves, others and the world. Our way of being with others in the world is intimately connected with the care we have received and the caring actions we undertake. We are what we do and what we care for. Caring for life is indispensable: it sustains life over time, enables it to flourish and heals the wounds of existence. Since human life is fragile and vulnerable, the work of care poses profound challenges. The first task of a philosophy committed to discerning meaning in experience is therefore to examine the phenomenon of care in order to understand its essential qualities. The aim is to develop, through the phenomenological method, a descriptive theory of care that can provide a foundation for a sound politics of experience.

Possible questions:

• The individual as a composite of soul and body

• The origins of the Western concept of the soul, or psychē (ψυχή)

• The soul from Homer to Socrates

• The soul as a daimōn in Pythagoreanism and Dionysian religion

• Socrates’ conception of the soul

• Plato’s myths of the soul (the winged chariot and the myth of Er)

• Aristotle’s conception of the soul as the principle of life

• The human being as a political and social animal

• Care as a defining ontological and existential feature of human beings

• The myth of Cura (Care) in Heidegger

• Care and responsibility as ethical principles

• Care (epimeleia) and self-knowledge in Socrates and Plato

• Care in Aristotle

• Human fragility in Socrates, Aristotle, and contemporary bioethics

• Hans Jonas’ principle of responsibility

• Why has care given rise to a form of applied ethics?