b. 1946
Eva Feder Kittay is an American philosopher and professor emerita at Stony Brook University, best known for her feminist critique of liberal political theory through the lens of dependency and care. Her work challenges dominant philosophical frameworks that assume an idealized self-sufficient subject, arguing instead that human dependency and the labor of caring are central moral and political concerns. She is a leading figure in care ethics and philosophy of disability.
Developed the 'dependency critique' of Rawlsian liberal justice in Love's Labor (1999), arguing that dependency relations are systematically excluded from social contract theory
Articulated a care-based alternative to justice frameworks centered on the 'doulia' principle of nested dependency obligations
Extended care ethics to philosophy of disability, particularly cognitive and intellectual disability
Challenged philosophical thought experiments (e.g., Rawls's veil of ignorance) for obscuring the moral significance of dependency workers
Co-edited The Subject of Care (2002), a foundational anthology in feminist care ethics