The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Humanities in collaboration with the office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and innovation recently hosted a public lecture titled: “An ethic of care: The soft voice in ethics”.

“This is the very first collaboration with the DVC: R&I this year, and we are looking forward to having more,” says Prof Pamela Maseko, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.

Prof Andries Baart from the University of Utrecht, who is also an Extraordinary Professor at the NWU’s Humanities Optentia’s research focus area, presented the lecture.

Prof Baart explained that there is a general societal expectation that, whatever an individual’s motivation, every person should do what is morally good, and we have learned to do that through things like avoiding punishment or just by consciously sticking to the rules.

Through his lecture, he aimed to provide another perspective.

He explained “The Ethics of care: The soft voice in ethics” is about dependence and interdependence not to perish, and traces this to a feminist philosophical perspective that uses a relational and contextually bound approach toward morality and decision making.

“This particular perspective challenges the way you think about ethical issues,” added Prof Baart. He continued by linking an ethic of care with the dreams, values and current issues affecting the NWU, while taking into account management, research, integrity, teaching and learning and the community impact of the university within the South African context.

“A caring university, such as the NWU is not only interested in the outcome of its curriculum, but also in the process of passing that curriculum,” said Prof Baart.

Click here to view the full lecture.