Care – Rehabilitating an Orphaned Virtue

Concern about a “crisis of care” in liberal democracies has deepened since the pandemic. Analyses focus on social, economic and political factors. Here I give attention to a cultural and religious aspect of the crisis. I suggest than for earlier generations the work of care was undergirded by a Christian ethic that sanctified the work of self-giving work care for others (especially on the part of women). This ethic has been undermined since the 1960s by a series of challenges and the rise of an alternative ethic which emphasises the value not of giving your life but living your life and helping others to do the same. I reflect on the nature of this new ethic and its potential to motivate care work in the future, perhaps more equally spread across genders.