The Machine of Caring: A book review of Philosophy of Care By Boris Groys, London, New York: Verso Books. 2022. pp. 112.

In Philosophy of Care, Groys takes the reader on a meandering, historical, metaphorical, and allegorical journey along which they are reacquainted with a variety of well-known, and introduced to some not so well-known, philosophers and thinkers. The ideas explored will resonate with anyone who has had pause to reflect on how we as a society provide care, which nowadays takes place across a variety of private and public settings, in increasingly sophisticated yet fragmented ways, and amidst ongoing and emerging social, political, and technological complexities. The multitude of tensions and challenges that arise from this serve as a touchstone for Groys to invite the reader to consider what has and will become of care, and what really matters in care. Such considerations may have limited practical utility for professional care providers, but it should remind them that behind the myriad systems, procedures, and protocols of care they are familiar with resides a person, while also acknowledging the challenges they face in providing care that is genuinely person-centred. On the other hand, there is much that researchers and policy makers can glean from such considerations, and it begins with understanding that how we provide care, and to whom we provide it, is ultimately our responsibility. It should be mentioned, however, that such a message may be lost on those more accustomed to clear and explicit formalisations of ideas and arguments (and for that reason, perhaps even lost on this reviewer). The book is not written for a general audience but for an esoteric philosophical audience favourably disposed to the ornate and at times obscure language deployed by its author. Nevertheless, the subject matter will be of interest to nursing philosophers, health sociologists, medical ethicists, and anyone else interested in the ethics of digital health technologies, an emerging topic of great importance.