The concept of care from a philosophical perspective

The paper aims at drawing a philosophy of care based upon the following two questions: Why is care primary in life? What is the essence of care? The author analyzes the human experience in a phenomenological way and describes fragility, vulnerability and burden as the ontological qualities of life that make ontological primacy of care evident. Then she describes the postures of the being-there taken by the people who perform care, i.e. feeling responsibility for the other, sharing what is essential to live with the other and having reverential consideration for the other. These postures of the being-there are presented as the ethical nucleus of the caring practice. Finally, the author defines care as a relational practice led by the intention to give to the other what is necessary for a good quality of life.