Rights, Care, and Democratic Ethics

Abstract

This dissertation explores the relationships among rights, care, and communicative (or deliberative) democracy. I argue that ethics of care and rights are distinct and mutually irreducible political ethics, but that they are most morally and politically potent when deeply embedded in one another, and that properly understood, they supply the foundations of democratic discourse. I illustrate my argument through exploration of case studies on disability rights, same-sex marriage, and school desegregation.