Gandhian Philosophy and Ethics of Care A Relational Moral Framework

This paper explores the philosophical convergence between Mahatma Gandhi’s moral thought and the Ethics of Care. While Gandhi is often interpreted primarily through the lenses of nonviolence, truth, and anti-colonial political resistance, his philosophy also embodies a deeply relational and care-centered ethical vision. Similarly, the Ethics of Care—developed by thinkers such as Carol Gilligan, Nel Noddings, and Joan Tronto—challenges dominant moral frameworks grounded in abstract rationality, individual autonomy, and universalism by emphasizing relationships, vulnerability, and responsibility. This paper argues that Gandhian philosophy can be fruitfully reread as an early, non-Western articulation of care ethics. By examining key Gandhian concepts such as ahimsa, satyagraha, swaraj, trusteeship, and service, the paper demonstrates how Gandhi conceptualizes care not as weakness or sentimentality but as moral strength and transformative social power. The relevance of this combined ethical framework is discussed in relation to contemporary challenges including social injustice, political violence, environmental degradation, and the global crisis of care