Rispetto e cura: una proposta di integrazione alla luce della vulnerabilità

The liberal conception of autonomy has drawn many criticisms, especially because of the underlying representation of the subject as a rational, independent individual. Within care ethics, several authors have proposed a more relational concept of autonomy, based on the acknowledgment of the crucial role of vulnerability for human existence. However, the potential of this alternative anthropological view – based on the idea of vulnerability – could go beyond its capacity to highlight the limits of liberal ethics and be of interest also for an ethics of respect for persons. This paper aims at exploring that potential by focusing on the implications that the category of vulnerability could have on the way we conceive the fundamental ethical attitude of respect. Building on the analysis offered by R.S. Dillon, the paper suggests that vulnerability can play a crucial role in describing a form of respect capable of integrating moral concerns related to the care perspective.