| dc.description.abstract | Can care-ethics provide an argument for the moral responsibility of economic agents? In mainstream economic theory it is standardly assumed that economic agents are largely rational, self-interested and driven by the pursuit of profit or individual utility. In this light, there seems to be little room for ethical considerations, let alone the values of care-ethics. Yet, I maintain in this thesis that the notion that economic activities lie firmly outside the realm of morality is both false and problematic. In fact, I argue that there is an implicit normative standard present in the general economic outlook that I call market thinking. In consequence, rational, self-interested and individualistic behaviour is not only generally expected but also implicitly accepted in economic decision-making. By contrast, the care-ethical emphasis on relationships and human connection opens for a profoundly different view of the relevance of ethics to economics. Not only are economic activities the results of human deci- sions and human-made structures, but economic constraints also have a real impact on people s lives –– including their opportunities to care. Thus, I set forth a care-ethical argument for the moral responsibility of economic agents, based on the care-ethical emphasis on relationships and an active commitment to care and avoidance of harm. My proposition is not that economic activities and market relations are the same as caring practices and caring relationships. Rather, I maintain that economic activities are already deeply embedded in particular human relationships or larger relational structures. A care-ethical interpretation of responsibility as relational would therefore hold economic agents responsible through the particular relational context of their activities. | eng |