TITLE:
Between Care and the Ethics of Utility: Towards a Better Human Social Relationship
AUTHORS:
Justina O. Ehiakhamen
KEYWORDS:
Humanity; Ethics; Utility; Care; Poverty; Social Relationships
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Philosophy,
Vol.4 No.2,
May
6,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Michael Schluter
and David Lee among other scholars decry the extent of erosion in genuine personal
relationships among human persons in present day societies. The concern it
generates is consequent upon the social ills prevalent among humankind ranging
from corruption, poverty, unemployment, armed robbery, kidnapping (adult
napping), human trafficking, drug trafficking, internet fraud, ritual killings,
conflicts, wars and a host of others. The wave of these social vices has been
identified as a moral problem, which emanates from failure of the human person
to develop a strong moral sense in present-day society with the emergence of
democracy and market economy. This is so because if principles of moral actions
are socially weak, they are usually unable to ensure a healthy inter-personal
relationship as well as a healthy society. Given this backdrop, the paper
attempts to interrogate the social import of an ethic of utility and care in
order to come to terms with which would foster social relationships in
contemporary society for the achievement of human well-being, viable and
sustainable development.