While this book is easy to read and understand, and therefore very accessible, it raises questions about the nature of caring, the potential for oppression of the cared-for, and the possibility of aggression in the care-giver. A useful book to be read in conjunction with this would be Daryl Koehn's 'Rethinking Feminist Ethics: Care Trust and Empathy', which provides an insightful critique of the work of Noddings and Carol Gilligan.


Very influential in my thinking about ethics and education   June 2, 1999
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Caring is a challenging book to read, because Noddings bases her ethical philosophy on an alternative approach to ethics than we are used to seeing. She argues that the relation between a one-caring and a cared-for should be the focus of how we think about right and wrong. As a fairly conservative and religious person, I find that I am uncomfortable at times with how the book is written. However, I think that has more to do with the examples that Noddings uses rather than the theory itself. Despite her wishing to distance herself from a God, I find her ethical theory to be evocative of the Gospels. If readers accept Noddings on her own terms, I think they will find her theory very different and refreshing. I've read the book again now after a few years and even though it can be difficult to read, I think it's very helpful for educators.


A refreshing and innovative approach to ethics/education   May 10, 1999
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I also read this book in a class on ethics and education at Rutgers -- not only did I love the book, the professor and the class were also fascinating. While I will admit that Noddings' terminology takes a little getting used to, I found her ideas to be worthwhile and interesting. Noddings sees the teacher as the "one-caring" and the student as the "cared-for". The teacher's role calls for her to see students as the best that they can be and to accept students for what they are while always working to help them develop the student's "best self". What a phenomenal idea! I am a teacher in a large urban school and often, the kids I teach do not have anyone who believes in their "best selves" -- no one has taught them how to dream and what steps to take to realize that vision. Without dreams and plans, kids can not grow. Many of the kids in my school do not feel there is much out there for them. One of the fundamental ways to reach out to these kids is by CARING. I applaud Noddings for pursuing the road less travelled.