Self vs Other

There is nothing new about the Self/Other dichotomy, it has existed as long as man has existed. A CoP combines both self and Other although seems to parade as a collaboration. It must also serve Self, given choice. This implies a balance of choices and freedom to do so. Freedom means liberty. Berlin talks about two forms of liberty ( Berlin 1969; Warburton, 1999).
Negative liberty is the right for the individual to choose- an Individualist position.
Positive liberty is the paternalist position that protects individuals from giving into their base desires. It helps us achieve a higher level of ourselves, self determination and cooperative behaviour.
A CoP , as a collaborative enterprise, implies positive liberty to achieve higher levels of knowledge, behaviour and cooperation. It also implies negative freedom to address Individualist needs,. The two act in opposition and requires choice of dynamic balance. This balance is the kernel of the ethical dilemma for a CoP.

There are numerous variable that help us in the choice in this dilemma. Although there is evidence of prior learning, personality features and developmental, hierarchical phases of moral development as described by Piaget and Kohlberg, Vygotsky inferred that this was essentially culturally defined (Cheyne & Tartulli 1999).

I subscribe to the feminist philosophy of care, value in diversity and networking which balances a gender bias (Nucci 2002). Feminist philosophy is a-philosophical, post-modern, non-theory bound and expresses socially conceived narrative rather than analysis. Care pertains to all humans, animals and the environment and although modeled on the mothering approach, also values sustainability and the rights of future generations (Koslowski 1998; Warren 2000). Care is a practice not just theory and pertains to giving, receiving, taking care within the context of the ‘Other” or recipient (Haslanger 2000, Emberson-Bain 1994; Tronto 1993). Diversity is valued above the homogenization of dichotomous thought (Rufford & Noonan 2001; Mies & Shiva 1997; Jagger 2002; Plumwood 1993; Rodda 1994). Networking, social interaction and responsibility is a common value with the New Economy and is valued above individualism (Elshtan 1992). Although most feminists would argue that men are included in this philosophy, the term ‘feminism’ creates division. I prefer to use anima and animus to describe those stereotyped female and male unconscious parts of the person to avoid this schism (Jung 1968). It seems to me that no other philosophy provides the basic ethics for CoP than Feminist philosophy

References:

Berlin, I. (1969) Four essays in Liberty, UK, Oxford University Press


Cheyne, JA & Tartulli, D 1999, “Dialogue, Difference and the ‘Third Voice’ in the Zone of Proximal Development”, viewed 26th January 2007 www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/ZPD.html


Elshtan, J B 1992, Meditations on modern political thought, Pennsylvania University Press, USA.

Emmeron-Bain, A 1994, “Mining Development in the Pacific; are we sustaining the unsustainable?”, in W Harcourt( ed.), Feminist Perspectives on Sustainable Development, Zed Books Ltd and Society for International Development, Rome.

Haslanger, S 2000, “ Feminism in Metaphysics”, in Fritz Allhoff & Anand Vaidya (eds.), Feminism in Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, UK.


Jagger, AM 2002, “ Feminist Ethics: Some issues for the nineties”, in Robert A Larmer (ed), Ethics in the Workplace, Wandsworth Group, USA


Jung, C 1968, “ Concerning the Archetypes”, in Collected Works of C G Jung Vol 9 Part 1 2nd Edition, Princeton University Press, USA.


Koslowski, P., (1996), “Ecology and Ethics in the Economy” in F Neil Brady(ed.), Ethical universals in International Business, Springer-Verlag-Berlin-Heidelberg, Germany


Mies, M & Shiva, V 1997, “Ecofeminism” in Sandra Kemp & Judith Squires (eds.), Feminisms Oxford University Press, UK.


Nucci, L 2002, “Moral Development and Moral Education: an overview” viewed 26th January 2007, http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MotralEd/overview.html


Plumwood, V 1993, Feminism and mastery of nature, Routledge, Australia.


Rodda, A 1994, Women and the Environment, Zeal Books Ltd, Australia.


Rufford, J & Noonan, B, 2001, editorial Earth Born viewed 25th January 2007 www.womenandearth.org/fecofemizine1


Tronto, JC 1993, Moral Boundaries: a political argument for the ethic of care”, Routledge Chapman & Hall Inc, Great Britain.

Warburton, N. ( 1999) Philosophy: the Basics, Routledge.


Warren, K 2000, Ecofeminist Philosophy- a western perspective or what it is and why it matters, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc, USA.