Caregiving is a distinct form of intelligence that is intrinsic to the human condition, yet it doesn't fit very well into the usual philosophical and political frameworks.
Dr. Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology and philosophy at UC Berkeley, sees caregiving as a “really fundamental, deep part of human nature.” Having “close relationships, caring for other people is one of the central engines of human happiness and thriving.” Yet, she shares, care has been “largely invisible” in moral philosophy, psychology, politics, and economics because it doesn’t fit reciprocity-based social-contract models.
Gopnik’s research on caregiving across contexts aims to spur a rethinking of care in academic disciplines and to inform caregiving policy and fresh approaches to child and elder care. She joins this episode of the Stories of Impact podcast to explore what care is, how it develops, and how societies might better support it.
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“If you ask most people what's the most morally profound, significant, meaningful thing in your life, they'll say something about the way that they have been taking care of children or parents or friends, or people who are ill, or spouses… it’s just intrinsic to the human condition… and care seems to be a way of allowing us as a community, as a species to negotiate these kinds of transitions, to make the transitions work," says Gopnik.
Care is asymmetric, and that’s why it sits awkwardly in standard frameworks.
In caregiving, the one with more resources helps the one with fewer to accomplish the recipient’s goals. As Gopnik explains:
"If you look at moral philosophy or moral psychology or politics or economics you don't see very much discussion of caregiving… The kind of classic description of human relations in the academy is some version of the social contract theory… some kind of reciprocity. I do something for you. You do something for me. But caregiving isn't like that. The very nature of caregiving is that we care for people like infants or elders who are not going to be able to reciprocate. And that means that the whole structure of caregiving doesn't fit very well into the usual philosophical and political frameworks."
Care has its own kind of intelligence.
"People sometimes react like 'care and intelligence: that’s an oxymoron!'," Gopnik notes, but caring well "requires a tremendous amount of intelligence and calculation and thought: What would be best for them? What do they want? How do I support their goals?"
Proximity and intergenerational bonds matter.
Everyday care is often local, and modern life can separate generations — parents at work, kids at school, grandparents far away — making simple, frequent care harder. Humans are unusual in having a long post-reproductive lifespan: grandmothers after menopause, and grandfathers too, commonly live an extra ~20 years, creating decades when elders can invest in children and grandchildren, a span Gopnik calls "a central part of human success and human progress."
Care across life’s transitions, even beyond life.
We move from dependence to independence and back again over a lifetime; care can help those passages be "satisfying and graceful and dignified." We even care for the dead, honoring wishes and memory, suggesting that care isn’t about exchange.
What children already know.
Research shows early adversity (or lack of care) can echo into adult health, and new studies suggest even four- and five-year-olds recognize that non-reciprocal help — like a parent tucking in a blanket without expecting the same back — is a cue of genuine care.
Care Across Cultures & Contexts.
Gopnik notes that our picture of care in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) societies is not universal; patterns of who cares (and how) differ across cultures. The United States is an outlier: support for child and elder care is comparatively thin, and the people doing this work — often women, including many immigrant women of color — are undervalued and underpaid. Practical ideas she highlights include intergenerational housing, allowances or commitments for family elder care, widening who can formally pledge care beyond biological parents (e.g., godparent-like commitments), and experimenting with universal childcare at the state level. These are policy avenues that can bridge partisan lines precisely because care touches everyone.
Listen with the above player for more ideas on how we might “think about the way that we care for other people.”
Built upon the award-winning video series of the same name, Templeton World Charity Foundation’s “Stories of Impact” podcast features stories of new scientific research on human flourishing that translate discoveries into practical tools. Bringing a mix of curiosity, compassion, and creativity, journalist Richard Sergay and producer Tavia Gilbert shine a spotlight on the human impact at the heart of cutting-edge social and scientific research projects supported by TWCF.
