Our last program on "The Ethics of Care: A Feminist Perspective" was well attended andnicely presented by Melissa Burchard, Ph.D. She discussed the background development of some of the ideas of "caring ethics" and "medical feminist ethics." Some ideas came out of Kohlberg's work on "moral psychology" which suggested there were several stages of moral development in childhood up to the age of 10. Initially we tend to obey; later we develop our "individuality." His studies were all done with males. Some felt that females perhaps didn't go through these same stages! Another researcher named Killigan found some differences and suggested the females focus more on human relationships and how people relate to and are effected by one another. Females tended to search for solutions concerning 'feelings' and which tend to preserve or enhance relationships. They tend to make judgments based situations (situational ethics) rather than on moral principles, as men do.

Dr. Burchard emphasized that what distinguished the 'feminist' from simply a feminine position was its political and self-conscious concern with 'suppression'. Feminists feel or believe that they (presumably speaking for all females as a group) have been suppressed by the males. They seek political and legal action to temper or end this realized or conceived suppression. Over the millennia, females may have developed the survival skill to deal with oppressors. Interestingly, they found that minorities feel the same, namely suppressed and oppressed by the dominant Caucasian males in our society! Both minority males and females as well as Caucasian females share this sense of oppression and suppression, implying that they have some common ground for action.

Dr. Burchard presented other developmental models of moral development. Among them were 'Maternal Models' emphasizing the mother-child relationship with its deep sense of caring. Motherhood models emphasized that mothers had potential in other area of life as well and should not be conceptually restricted to the maternal role.

A 'Mediated Model' of care was balanced with justice or other virtues but emphasizing the importance of relationships. Caring and Virtue theory emphasize 'character' and try to discover what kind of person must one be to be 'caring'. There are some less personal models such as the 'attending' or 'engaging' roles which are supportive and aim to help others use their own autonomy. Because females are so concerned with social circumstances, they can be easily coopted and taken advantage of. The Feminists urge a reciprocity of care wherein men and women both do the same. They would like to see males and females behaving similarly! (no doubt only men altering their behavior to act like females). But men have the tendency to see caring with its emphasis on feelings and relationships as, well, feminine!

During the subsequent discussion it was brought out by several people that males tended to act more with regard to pre-existing principles and to a sense of duty.

Since the historical and present attitudes have evolved freely out of man's natural evolution, some concern was expressed regarding the political means of change. As with Capitalism, what is is what happens when people are left alone. Paul Johnson wrote that most intellectually-generated ideas for social engineering have to be forced upon people by what he call "The Heartless Lovers of Humankind," who love ideas more than actual people! They are too willing to suppress all people to attain their idealized utopian ends.

When all is said and done, perhaps the French are correct: Viva la difference! Perhaps The Greater Power knew best.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 17, 1999 at the Kellogg Center, 11 Broyles Rd. just west of Hendersonville, NC and just north of route #64. Our topic for discussion will be Professional Codes and Ethics. The program will be presented by Dr. Gordon Wilson, Chairman of the Dept. of Philosophy at UNCA Asheville. Our respondent for the evening will be Mr. David Liden, assistant administrator at Franklin Hospital in Franklin, NC.

Al Iosue