ABSTRACT

The character standing centre stage in economics, notably Rational Man has been publically declared to be extinct. Rational Man is extinct means that all of us need to start rethinking the social architecture which is premised upon the Rational Man Myth. This chapter argues that in favour of an 'ethic of care' - it is an ethic that centralizes humans and human relationships as the fundamental value which economic theory has eclipsed. Personal injury law makes enormous assumptions about human beings has of course been a central theme in feminist legal theory. The chapter illustrates the broader impact that Carol Gilligan's work has had, it is noteworthy that her 'research proved a catalyst for feminists and further fuelled the gender debate which ensued'. The chapter also argues that to reset our social operating systems, to reject a 'self-interest view of rationality' which in itself rejects 'the ethics-related view of motivation' in favour of being deeply interested in how humans are.