ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out in more detail the argument for a feminist international ethics based on the idea of a critical ethics of care. It discusses the nature and purpose of feminist theory and, specifically, feminist ethics. The ethics of care may seem to offer no criteria for judging the relative validity of those moral claims—precisely what moral theories which rely on principles do provide. The chapter explores the development of the ethics of care for the global context. Virginia Held's thoughts on what care might mean for 'distant others' are slightly more encouraging. Held argues that, to be adequate, moral theories must pay attention to the neglected realm of particular others in the actual relationships and actual contexts of women's experiences. An ethics of care is not about the application of a universal principle nor is it about a sentimental ideal. Rather, it is a starting point for transforming the values and practices of international society.
