Vulnerability

New Essays in Ethics and Feminist Philosophy

Edited by Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, and Susan Dodds

Studies in Feminist Philosophy

Sustained investigation of the moral obligations arising from vulnerability, a theoretically under-explored moral concept that is nevertheless widely used in bioethics, feminist ethics, moral philosophy and social welfare policy.
Editors develop and apply their own novel analysis and taxonomy of vulnerability, including introducing the concept of "pathogenic" vulnerability.
Essays encompass both theoretical analysis and practical applications.
Contributors include leading theorists in feminist ethics and bioethics, who have developed original work for this volume.

Vulnerability

New Essays in Ethics and Feminist Philosophy

Edited by Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, and Susan Dodds

Studies in Feminist Philosophy

Description

The aim of this volume is to open up reflection on the nature of vulnerability, the responsibilities owed to the vulnerable, who bears these responsibilities, and how they are best fulfilled. In canvassing responses to these questions, the contributors engage with a range of ethical traditions and with issues in contemporary political philosophy and bioethics. Some essays in the volume explore the connections between vulnerability, autonomy, dignity, and justice. Other essays engage with a feminist ethics of care to articulate the relationship between vulnerability, dependence, and care. These theoretical approaches are complemented by detailed examination of vulnerability in specific contexts, including disability; responsibilities to children; intergenerational justice; and care of the elderly. The essays thus address fundamental questions concerning our moral duties to each other as individuals and as citizens. Contributing significantly to the development of an ethics of vulnerability, this volume opens up promising avenues for future research in feminist philosophy, moral and political philosophy, and bioethics.

Vulnerability

New Essays in Ethics and Feminist Philosophy

Edited by Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, and Susan Dodds

Studies in Feminist Philosophy

Notes on Contributors
Acknowledgments

Introduction: What Is Vulnerability and Why Does It Matter for Moral Theory?
Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, Susan Dodds

Part I: Reflections on Vulnerability
1. The Importance of Relational Autonomy and Capabilities for an Ethics of Vulnerability
Catriona Mackenzie
2. Vulnerability and Bioethics
Wendy Rogers
3. The Role of Vulnerability in Kantian Ethics
Paul Formosa
4. Moral Vulnerability and the Task of Reparations
Margaret Urban Walker
5. Autonomy and Vulnerability Entwined
Joel Anderson
6. Being in Time: Ethics and Temporal Vulnerability
Janna Thompson

Part II: Vulnerability, Dependency and Care
7. Dependence, care and vulnerability
Susan Dodds
8. Disability and Vulnerability: on Bodies, Dependence and Power
Jackie Leach Scully
9. Moral Responsibility for Coerced Wrongdoing: the Case of Abused Women Who "Fail to Protect" Their Children
Marilyn Friedman
10. Parental Values and Children's Vulnerability
Mianna Lotz
11. Children, Vulnerability, and Emotional Harm
Amy Mullin
12. Vulnerability and Aging in the Context of Care
Rosemarie Tong

Vulnerability

New Essays in Ethics and Feminist Philosophy

Edited by Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, and Susan Dodds

Studies in Feminist Philosophy

Author Information

Catriona Mackenzie is Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University, Sydney. She has published extensively in moral psychology, feminist philosophy and applied ethics. Within these areas she is known especially for her work on relational autonomy and practical identity.

Wendy Rogers is Professor of Clinical Ethics at Macquarie University, Sydney. She has published widely in clinical and public health ethics and in feminist bioethics. Her work focuses on the intersection between ethical theory and practical problems in health care ethics.

Susan Dodds is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tasmania. She has published widely in political philosophy, moral philosophy and applied ethics (especially feminist bioethics). Her work focuses on the intersection of political philosophy, feminist theory and and applied ethics.

Contributors:

Joel Anderson
Susan Dodds
Paul Formosa
Marilyn Friedman
Mianna Lotz
Catriona Mackenzie
Amy Mullin
Wendy Rogers
Jackie Leach Scully
Janna Thompson
Rosemarie Tong
Margaret Urban Walker

Vulnerability

New Essays in Ethics and Feminist Philosophy

Edited by Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, and Susan Dodds

Studies in Feminist Philosophy

Reviews and Awards

"Happily, the essays in this volume canvas a range of ways in which being (or appearing to be) vulnerable bears on a range of other important topics, such as agency, autonomy, care, competence, dependence, discrimination, justice, obligation, respect, responsibility, rights, and risk. Thus, those who read this book will be rewarded with a wealth of stimulating ideas, not only on what human vulnerability is, but also on what should be done about it." --Australasian Journal of Philosophy

"Vulnerability is a notable volume for multiple reasons, including the variety of philosophical perspectives it contains, the caliber of its contributors, and the rigor of the essays themselves. The value of the collection is evident from the very start, which is to say, from the introduction. Introductions to edited volumes rarely elicit comment, as they tend to function primarily as a preview of coming attractions. In this instance, however, editors Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, and Susan Dodds demonstrate just how excellent and useful an introduction can be, offering one that is simply not to be missed." -- Hypatia Reviews Online