Careful Thinking

How can we ensure that the drive for gender equality acknowledges relationships of dependency and care? What kinds of social policies are needed to ensure that caregivers are properly supported and cared for? What can the experiences of people with disabilities teach us about what constitutes a 'good' life? And is it possible to achieve a balance between autonomy, dependency, and care? These are s...

How can we make ethical decisions in a world that includes multiple and diverse forms of life, and what can care ethics contribute to developing a pluriversal ethics? What did the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate about the nature of human vulnerability? And can violence ever be justified within an ethic of care? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Maggie FitzGerald. Maggi...

What insights can care ethics contribute that will help in improving the education system? How can education prepare students to be caring citizens and support the development of a 'caring democracy'? And what role should sex and relationships education play in that process? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Adriana Jesenková . Adriana studied history and philosophy...

What insights can phenomenological philosophy offer into the experience of fatherhood? How does a father experience the mystery of his child's soul, and how should he respond to his child's vulnerability and suffering? And how useful is the language of sacrifice in describing the burden of paternal responsibility? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Zechariah Mickel. Z...

What can care ethics contribute to a better understanding of death, dying, and end-of-life care? What would a relational approach to assisted dying look like? And how should care be incorporated into public policy by local and national governments? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, in conversation with Iris Parra Jounou . Iris is a researcher in care ethics and political...

What can the ideas of an eighteenth-century feminist thinker contribute to contemporary debates around gender and care? How should law and social policy support caregivers and create a better balance between care, work and family life? Is Catholic feminism a contradiction in terms - and if not, what's distinctive about the perspective that it offers on care? These are some of the questions we disc...

What can a protest movement organised by Muslim grandmothers in India teach us about the role of care in political action? In what sense should we understand care as performance and everyday caring activities as artful practices? And how might interpersonal care nurture a wider caring imagination and foster a politics of care? These are some of the questions we discuss in this episode, with Alisha...

What ethical challenges are presented by caring for people with dementia? How should we understand - and respect - the personhood of those experiencing cognitive decline? And what can virtue ethics and care ethics contribute to the development of an alternative ethical model for dementia care? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, in conversation with Vince Mitchell . Vince i...

How can we ensure that people with intellectual disabilities participate fully in political life? What lessons can we learn from communities of care in which disabled and non-disabled people live together? And what should be the relationship between local communities of care and wider social and political structures? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Lorraine Krall M...

What can we learn about care from the experiences of mothers of children with disabilities? How can the writings of a medieval Christian mystic deepen our understanding of maternal love and care? Can the religious emphasis on kenosis, or self-giving love, be reconciled with a feminist perspective on care? And to what extent does the practice of intimate caregiving lead to a wider concern with equi...

Careful Thinking explores ideas about care and features conversations with researchers, writers and practitioners at the cutting edge of current thinking about care. It was launched in November 2023 and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

How are the practice of art and the practice of care connected? In what ways might intellectual inquiry be a caring practice? And what part do wonder, poetry and 'unknowing' play in research - and in care? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Merel Visse . Merel is a scholar, artist, editor and educator. She holds a faculty position in the Caspersen School of Graduate S...

What does it mean to 'practise presence' in caring for others? How did the theory of presence develop from research on everyday care practice? And what are the professional, organisational and political implications of presence theory and relational caring? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Andries Baart and Guus Timmerman. Andries is Extraordinary Professor in the f...

How has the legacy of conquest and colonisation shaped the educational experiences of students and teachers in New Mexico? What can educators do to enable students to bring their embodied knowledge and intergenerational wisdom into educational spaces? And in what ways are (Nuevo) Mexicana educators developing a 'revolucionista' ethic of care? These are some of the questions we explore in this epis...

What has been the impact of recent attempts to regulate surrogacy in India? How do surrogate mothers view their participation in the process? Can feminist care ethics, and specifically an understanding of care as labour, contribute to a better understanding of surrogacy? And what are the strengths and weaknesses of the radical feminist case against surrogacy? These are some of the questions we exp...

Is self-sacrifice a vital component of care for others, or does a feminist ethic of care make it problematic? Is caring something that we choose to do, or a responsibility that is given to us? And how can care ethics provide a framework for promoting reproductive justice? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Inge van Nistelrooij . Inge is a care ethicist, based in the N...

What are the physical, psychological and spiritual benefits of caring for others? How does caregiving benefit society, and what could society do to value care more? In what ways does care change men, and how can we encourage men to participate more in caregiving? And how are care and spirituality connected? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Elissa Strauss . Elissa is...

How are our duties to care, and to obey the law, connected? What can care ethics contribute to an understanding of important questions in medical and family law? What does it mean to describe care as a 'thick ethical concept'? And what are the factors that make caring actions 'good'? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Ira Chadha-Sridhar . Ira is the Hatton-WYNG Junior...

What role do emotions play in individual and societal wellbeing? How can we ensure that we are emotionally present in caregiving and in our professional lives? What is the difference between true and 'empty' empathy? And what can phenomenology, and philosophical ideas generally, contribute to the development of an ethic of love, or an ethic of care? These are some of the questions we explore in th...

In what ways do medical racism and ableism shape Muslim families' experiences of healthcare services? How can Islamic spirituality and Qur'anic stories provide resources to support caregivers and receivers of care? Does care ethics need to be decolonised? And what are the implications of a Muslim feminist ethic of care for thinking about illness, disability and reproductive care? These are some of...

How do parents of children with disabilities create meaningful lives? In what ways do past experiences shape fathers' caregiving in the present? And how is men's care for their disabled children influenced by social norms of masculinity? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Aaron Jackson . Aaron is an anthropologist whose research focuses primarily on best practices for...

What does it mean to describe care as 'beautiful'? Is caring an art, and if so, what would 'artful' care (and careful art) look like? And how might an aesthetics of care transform how we think, not only about interpersonal care, but also about broader social relationships? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode of the podcast, with James Thompson . James is a theatre practition...

Is care a virtue? And what is the relationship between care ethics and virtue ethics? Is there a need to 'queer' care ethics? And what does an ethic of care have to say about the needs of marginalised groups like migrants and those with invisible disabilities? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Steven Steyl . Steven studied law, philosophy and politics at the Universi...

In what sense are death and dying relational experiences? Why is 'choice' a problematic concept in end of life care? And when might a decision not to intervene be viewed as a form of care? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Erica Borgstrom . Erica is a Professor of Medical Anthropology at The Open University, where she leads  Open Thanatology , the universit...

How can religious traditions regarding death and dying be adapted for a modern secular culture? What can the concept of 'inner space' contribute to understanding and improving care for the dying and support for the bereaved? And what role do moments of wonder play in the practice of care? These are some of the questions we explore in this episode, with Carlo Leget . Carlo is Professor of Care Ethi...