Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics - Essay Example Gilligan persuasively argues that in any ethical situation, one must take into account the human need to care for ourselves and for those close to us. She primarily uses women as the subject of the caring. She launches her platform from the suppression of women and their needs. The book flaunts the social selflessness that is incumbent upon women as they care for others, as the basis for developing care ethics. Kant’s categorical imperative attempts to create universal laws acceptable in all ways, without exception. He tries to create freestanding statements that do not require elucidation to establish them. He accepts that such categorical imperatives are difficult to derive. The ordinary person will not be able to logically reason his way through such maxims, nor question their validity. However, through experience, an ordinary person will be able to determine for herself if such maxims work or not. If one disobeys the maxims, and suffers as a result, one will automatically understand that the maxim had a reason for being so rigid. Nevertheless, the experience itself is dependent on emotional decisions, which one makes under pressure, the consequences of which help one realize the value of the maxims.