Åbo Akademi University, Department of Caring Science
EKEGREN CAMILLA: What good caring could be according to G.H.
von Wright
Master´s thesis, 62 pages
Supervisor: PhD (caring science) Kerstin Sivonen
December 2007
Keywords: Good caring, von Wright, hermeneutics, ethics, caring science
The concept ”good” is one of those value laden words most people casually use without
ever questioning what the underlining goodness is or what the concept actually means.
However, in an academic context its sense needs exploring. General normative demands
and value assessments like “she is a good nurse” are understandable as such but do not,
without further conceptual analysis, tell us anything about what this goodness consists
of.
The aim of the thesis is to understand, with the help of both hermeneutic and analytical
philosophical method, the nuances of the concept of good which in itself is necessary
in order to be able the answer the question what good care could be and what are the
necessary and sufficient conditions for what is expected of a good nurse. The concept of
care is taken as given and it is used in the tradition of the Faculty of Caring Sciences at
the Åbo Akademi.The theoretical perspective is also congruent with the thinking that
has emerged during the past twenty years and follows the tradition of hermeneutical
dialogue, which von Wright also calls philosophical method.
This thesis is based on a dialogue between von Wright´s book “The Varieties of
Goodness”, the science of care as it is understood at the Faculty of Caring Sciences at
Åbo Akademi and the understanding and analysis of the author. This dialogue takes
place in a hermeneutical circle where every question gives an answer and every answer
creates a new question. The challenge of the thesis was to make explicit the dialogue
between philosophical analysis and the understanding of science of care and to be able
to pursue a logical argumentation to show aspects of concept-forming knowledge,
pragmatism and context of meaning.
The conclusion of this work is can be expressed by the following: “Good care is given
when the nurse has good theoretical knowledge and practical skills, whose working
conditions fulfill certain necessary criteria and, what is paramount, whose intention is to
perform activities that are beneficial to the patient”.