The philosophy sometimes called the ethics of care suggests that ethical dilemmas can best be solved by attention to which of the following?

• A. Relationships
• B. Individual rights
• C. Abstract principles
• D. Consequences

Answer: (A)

Care ethics center on relationships and the way care is enacted through ongoing connections among people. In nursing, ethical decisions arise from attending to how individuals are related, who depends on whom, and how to respond to vulnerability within a real, changing context. This relational focus means moral action flows from caring about another person within their particular situation, rather than from applying universal rules, judging by isolated duties, or predicting abstract outcomes. So attention to relationships best captures what the ethics of care emphasizes. The other approaches align with rights-based autonomy, universal principles, or consequential calculations, which miss the emphasis on connected, context-bound care.