This volume breaks new ground by investigating the ethics of vulnerability. Drawing on various ethical traditions, the contributors explore the nature of vulnerability, the responsibilities owed to the vulnerable, and by whom.

Notes on Contributors ; Acknowledgments ; Introduction: What Is Vulnerability and Why Does It Matter for Moral Theory? ; Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, Susan Dodds ; Part I: Reflections on Vulnerability ; 1. The Importance of Relational Autonomy and Capabilities for an Ethics of Vulnerability ; Catriona Mackenzie ; 2. Vulnerability and Bioethics ; Wendy Rogers ; 3. The Role of Vulnerability in Kantian Ethics ; Paul Formosa ; 4. Moral Vulnerability and the Task of Reparations ; Margaret Urban Walker ; 5. Autonomy and Vulnerability Entwined ; Joel Anderson ; 6. Being in Time: Ethics and Temporal Vulnerability ; Janna Thompson ; Part II: Vulnerability, Dependency and Care ; 7. Dependence, care and vulnerability ; Susan Dodds ; 8. Disability and Vulnerability: on Bodies, Dependence and Power ; Jackie Leach Scully ; 9. Moral Responsibility for Coerced Wrongdoing: the Case of Abused Women Who "Fail to Protect" Their Children ; Marilyn Friedman ; 10. Parental Values and Children's Vulnerability ; Mianna Lotz ; 11. Children, Vulnerability, and Emotional Harm ; Amy Mullin ; 12. Vulnerability and Aging in the Context of Care ; Rosemarie Tong

Vulnerability is a notable volume for multiple reasons, including the variety of philosophical perspectives it contains, the caliber of its contributors, and the rigor of the essays themselves. The value of the collection is evident from the very start, which is to say, from the introduction. Introductions to edited volumes rarely elicit comment, as they tend to function primarily as a preview of coming attractions. In this instance, however, editors Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, and Susan Dodds demonstrate just how excellent and useful an introduction can be, offering one that is simply not to be missed.

"Happily, the essays in this volume canvas a range of ways in which being (or appearing to be) vulnerable bears on a range of other important topics, such as agency, autonomy, care, competence, dependence, discrimination, justice, obligation, respect, responsibility, rights, and risk. Thus, those who read this book will be rewarded with a wealth of stimulating ideas, not only on what human vulnerability is, but also on what should be done about it." --Australasian Journal of Philosophy"Vulnerability is a notable volume for multiple reasons, including the variety of philosophical perspectives it contains, the caliber of its contributors, and the rigor of the essays themselves. The value of the collection is evident from the very start, which is to say, from the introduction. Introductions to edited volumes rarely elicit comment, as they tend to function primarily as a preview of coming attractions. In this instance, however, editors Catriona Mackenzie, Wendy Rogers, and Susan Dodds demonstrate just how excellent and useful an introduction can be, offering one that is simply not to be missed." -- Hypatia Reviews Online

Sustained investigation of the moral obligations arising from vulnerability, a theoretically under-explored moral concept that is nevertheless widely used in bioethics, feminist ethics, moral philosophy and social welfare policy.Editors develop and apply their own novel analysis and taxonomy of vulnerability, including introducing the concept of "pathogenic" vulnerability.Essays encompass both theoretical analysis and practical applications.Contributors include leading theorists in feminist ethics and bioethics, who have developed original work for this volume.

Catriona Mackenzie is Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University, Sydney. She has published extensively in moral psychology, feminist philosophy and applied ethics. Within these areas she is known especially for her work on relational autonomy and practical identity. Wendy Rogers is Professor of Clinical Ethics at Macquarie University, Sydney. She has published widely in clinical and public health ethics and in feminist bioethics. Her work focuses on the intersection between ethical theory and practical problems in health care ethics. Susan Dodds is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tasmania. She has published widely in political philosophy, moral philosophy and applied ethics (especially feminist bioethics). Her work focuses on the intersection of political philosophy, feminist theory and and applied ethics.

Sustained investigation of the moral obligations arising from vulnerability, a theoretically under-explored moral concept that is nevertheless widely used in bioethics, feminist ethics, moral philosophy and social welfare policy.Editors develop and apply their own novel analysis and taxonomy of vulnerability, including introducing the concept of "pathogenic" vulnerability.Essays encompass both theoretical analysis and practical applications.Contributors include leading theorists in feminist ethics and bioethics, who have developed original work for this volume.