Heeding the Face of the Other: a Case Study in Relational Ethics

This article draws on the author's engagement with, and writing about, his mother's dementia as a vehicle for exploring the nature of relational research ethics. The philosophical foundations of such research may be found in the seminal work of Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas, whose reflections on the "I-Thou" relationship and "the face of the Other," respectively, serve to illuminate the contours of such an ethics. Central to the broad perspective being considered is the idea of responsibility, both to and for other persons, and the kind of ethical attitude it entails. As the author avows, adopting and maintaining this attitude is challenging and difficult. By examining the trajectory of the relationship in question, with attention to both the challenges encountered and the ethical attitude required to meet them, we have in hand a potentially useful vehicle for advancing an Other-inspired form of relational research ethics.