The ethics of care has flourished in recent decades yet we remain without a succinct statement of its core theoretical commitment. This study argues for a simple care ethical slogan: dependency relationships generate responsibilities. It uses this slogan to unify, specify and justify the wide range of views found within the care ethical literature.

1. Introduction PART I: THE CLAIMS OF CARE ETHICS 2. Scepticism about Principles 3. The Value of Relationships 4. Caring Attitudes 5. Caring Actions PART II: CRYSTALLISING THE CLAIMS 6. The Dependency Principle 7. Collective Dependency Duties 8. Unifying, Specifying, and Justifying Care Ethics

Stephanie Collins is a Lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Manchester, UK. Her research is orientated around feminist, collective, and global ethics. Her work has appeared in such places as The Australasian Journal of Philosophy and Ethical Theory and Moral Practice.