For Noddings, there is a distinction between ethical and natural caring. The act may come from “I want,” which is natural, and “I must,” which is ethical. Ethical caring comes from a belief that caring is a “right” way of responding to another human being. Of course, ethical caring comes from natural caring, but it is through experiencing others caring for them and caring for others that people build the “ideal” or an image of the kind of person they want to be. I take this to mean that while I may not “want” to respond to a person’s need, if I do it anyway, I can attain more experiences caring for others that my “must” may turn into a “want.”
- Noddings, Nel. Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
- Noddings, Nel. Stories and affect in Teacher Education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 26 (3). 1996.
- Noddings, Nel. Justice and Caring: The Search for Common Ground in Education. Teachers College Press, New York, 1999.
- Noddings, Nel. Identifying and Responding to needs in Teacher Education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 35 (2). 2005
- Noddings, Nel. What does it mean to Educate the WHOLE child?. Educational Leadership, 63 (1). 2005.
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