ABSTRACT
The Introduction provides an introduction into how an ethics of care can be used as a theoretical framework for the analysis of basic social structures in medicine. Four key questions are identified: (1) how does the social structure in question enable the provision of care? (2) how do the interactions of this social structure with other structures affect the provision of care? (3) how does the social structure function to preserve and support relationships of care? and (4) how does the structure shape caregivers’ sense of self and capacity for care? The introduction also argues that an ethics of care is particularly apt for the ethical questions that arise in a medical context because of the close connection between the care provided by medicine and the central focus of an ethics of care.
