Between virtue and the theory of subjectivity: Noddings’s care, Levinas’s responsibility, and Slote’s receptivity

In this paper, I review three theorists—Nel Noddings, Emmanuel Levinas, and Michael Slote—from the feminist, continental, and analytical philosophical traditions and their respective ethical theories developed against the dominant Western approach. While Noddings and Levinas attempt to reconfigure a notion of the relational self in seeking new ethical ground, Slote attempts a virtue theory that does not challenge the fundamental beliefs and assumptions of the Western tradition. I discuss how these theorists understand the root cause of the problems of the Enlightenment legacy and their respective approaches and justifications in addressing the problems. I conclude that while a shared interest in and valuing of receptivity is apparent in all theories, they also bear profound differences and exhibit different merits.