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Abstract

Caring as a new paradigm for nursing is rapidly gaining ascendance. As nurse scholars and practitioners recognize the power of caring, they are joining together in a "conspiracy" of caring. The purpose of this article is to set the stage for creative visioning that might generate new ways of thinking about caring, nursing practice, and research. A very brief review of caring scholarship in nursing over the last 15 years sets the context for the discussion of caring research and practice. It is suggested that when the phenomenon of interest is human caring, the perspective or vision of the scientist must necessarily change from a traditional, empirical view of what is real to a holistic vision of nursing as a human, caringscience. The process for both personal and societal transformation is discussed.

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