The Ethical Demand as Responsibility according to Logstrup – seen through the Lens of a Caring Science Tradition and in the Context of meaning of Caring

Background: Responsibility is part of the human being’s life and plays a decisive role for the nurse in the context of meaning of caring. Exploring the concept of responsibility from a caring science perspective is crucial for understanding what responsibility means on a deeper level within the context of meaning of caring.

Aims: The aim of this study is to uncover a deeper understanding of responsibility from a caring science perspective. The research question is: What is the human being’s responsibility in the context of meaning of caring?

Methodology: The study uses a hermeneutical approach. The material consists of a work of philosophy of religion entitled The ethical demand by Løgstrup (1997). The text was interpreted through hermeneutical reading.

Results: When the human being receives life as a gift the human being’s responsibility is love for the neighbour. This responsibility, which gives life meaning, entails caretaking of the other’s life, the surrender of one’s own life and the reception of life as a gift. Love is born from the reception of life. This means that when human beings encounter each other in responsibility, true love and selflessness, and through communication understand each other, and help each other without desire for mastery, both the subject and the other benefit, and joy, love and vitality spread spontaneously. This is the human being’s responsibility and love of the human being.

Conclusion: Love arises from the reception of life whereupon responsibility awakens. This is the human being’s responsibility and love of the human being in the context of meaning of caring. Further research in this field is needed and should focus on uncovering responsibility from the nurses’, patients’ and caring leaders’ own perspective.