Embodied Care

Moral philosophers have historically given the body little attention, mentioning it in passing or, at most, devoting a single chapter to it. This is the first book to argue that the body is fundamental to care ethics, examining human physicality at the level of lived experience. Its central claim is that our bodies play a key role in shaping our moral lives, with particular focus on how people learn to care for one another.

Hamington contends that humans are, in essence, made for caring, so embodiment must be treated as a major factor in moral deliberation. His route runs from contemporary care ethics to Merleau-Ponty's philosophy of the body, and then to the social activism and thought of Jane Addams.

Rather than proposing another rival theory of right conduct, the author builds his case through theoretical argument and concrete case studies. His conclusion is that no account of morality can be considered complete without fully taking the body into consideration.