Abstract

“Choice” is a key concept in care systems for older people in many countries. However, it is often applied without a deeper understanding of what it means, particularly in relation to “care.” This article focuses on the conceptual and theoretical insights into the relationship between “choice” and “care,” adopting the analytical frameworks of the ethics of care and the ethics of justice. The contrast between these frameworks mirrors the distinction between qualitative and quantitative paradigms and highlights how the ethics of care and qualitative frameworks share a common philosophical position. The relationship between choice and care can be viewed in two ways: as conflicting, or as compatible and complementary. The article suggests that when “choice” is understood as “rational choice” within the dichotomous frameworks of the ethics of care and the ethics of justice, it appears conflicting. However, when choice is considered within a relational paradigm that integrates the two perspectives, “choice” and “care” can be conceptually compatible. The article offers a novel relational understanding of choice and care and proposes a relational paradigm that aims to bridge the gap between the ethics of care and the ethics of justice. Through advanced qualitative scholarship, it critically engages with conventional understandings, offering new insights that both challenge and expand existing viewpoints.