Daring to Care

Abstract

Whatever we choose to do, the stakes are very high.

David Whyte (1994, p. 298), poet

Researching questions that matter demands passionate conviction. Whether recognized as such or not, such conviction, combined with profound compassion, defines true scholarship. Daring to care requires courage—the courage to speak out and to act. Courage transforms convictions and compassion into action. Thus, by its very nature, daring to care calls into question the traditional role of rigid scientific objectivity and invites advocacy to play a vital role within our scholarly tradition. In focusing on daring to care, this article raises questions that academia must ask itself in order to support scholars in rigorously researching and teaching about issues that matter. It provides examples of scholarship that have required courage, conviction, and compassion, including a case example where the outcome of appropriate methodology is literally life or death. Throughout the discussion, readers are invited to consider what supports their core convictions, compassion, and courageous action in their own scholarship, teaching, and advocacy.