Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring

Title: Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring
ABP identifier: ABP-W-0019
Date: 1979
Type: Book
Description: Jean Watson’s first major book developed caring as a central intellectual and practical commitment of nursing rather than a sentimental addition to technical treatment. Her “carative factors” connected clinical knowledge with attention, trust, meaning, and the relationship between nurse and patient.
Intellectual stream: Clinical ethics & professionalism; Boundary expansion
Verification status: Verified
Evidence confidence: High
Historical significance: Watson’s first major book developed caring as a central intellectual and practical commitment of nursing rather than a sentimental addition to technical treatment. Her “carative factors” connected clinical knowledge with attention, trust, meaning, and the relationship between nurse and patient. Published when bioethics often centered physicians, philosophers, and legal disputes, the book preserved a different account of moral practice rooted in sustained care. It is significant for the history of American bioethics because it helps recover nursing’s contribution to questions about professional responsibility, patient experience, and the moral character of health care. It also anticipates later care-ethics critiques of abstract and procedure-centered analysis.