Introduction
The Need for More Than Justice by Baier primarily distinguishes between Rawls’s and Kantian justice perspectives and the care position that Gilligan outlined in her studies of women’s moral development. Baier argues that the perspective of justice itself is inadequate as a theory of morality since it overlooks the inequalities between people, has an unrealistic view of freedom of choice and ignores the value of emotions like love. The best moral theory, Baier argues, is a cooperative product of men and women, which harmonizes justice and care.
Main body
The Kantian framework has influenced several researchers whose notion of moral development requires an alternative in the author’s opinion. The moral development theory has two dimensions: the first aims to achieve a satisfying unity with others, and the second is autonomy or equality of powers (Baier, 2019). The prevalence depends on the relative importance of these two aspects in one’s early childhood and their encouragement or suppression (Baier, 2019). Focusing on the pragmatic side of child education may result in feelings of detachment and helplessness (Baier, 2019). This work expresses dissatisfaction with the individualistic Kantian moral framework dominating Western moral theory.
The author opposes the Kantian view of the controlling mind dictating over unbridled passions since it tends to be less useful in considering the vital aspects of parental or any intimate relationships. Baier (2019) provides an example of rational control in parenting: while for fathers, it may suffice to simply control their rage when kids enrage them, mothers must go beyond that, providing love for their children. This example demonstrates why Kantian theories’ emphasis on rational control of emotions rather than cultivating desirable forms of emotion is imperfect.
Conclusion
To conclude, the author juxtaposes two points of view regarding freedom of choice, the perspective of justice and the perspective of care. Baier focuses on the downfalls of justice by addressing critical issues of social inequality and calling for women to act on them. Further, Baier asserts that this perspective deliberately ignores the importance of developing desirable emotions such as love, using the example of parental care. This work’s overall statement is that a society that maintains justice and care among its people has a higher chance of living in peace and harmony with each other.
Reference
Baier, A. C. (2019). The Need for More Than Justice. In L. Vaughn (Ed.), Doing ethics: Moral reasoning and contemporary issues (Fifth edition, pp. 188–195). W.W. Norton & Company.