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Feminist philosophy

 
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Loosely related set of approaches in various fields of philosophy that emphasizes the role of gender in the formation of traditional philosophical problems and concepts and the ways in which traditional philosophy reflects and perpetuates bias against women. In social and political philosophy, liberal feminists have advocated making women's political and economic opportunities equal to those of men; socialist or Marxist feminists have argued that women's oppression is inherently economic in character; and radical feminists have criticized liberal political notions such as equality and autonomy as inherently "masculine" (see liberalism). Similar feminist critiques have been made of notions such as rationality and objectivity in epistemology and metaphysics. In ethics, feminists have contrasted the traditional masculine approach based on impersonal and abstract rights and principles with an ethic of "care" based on personal and concrete relationships and responsibilities. In the late 20th century feminists influenced by postmodern philosophy and literary theory pointed out the potential racial, cultural, and class biases of academic feminists attempting to speak for all women and argued that no single description of women's experience or women's oppression can be valid for all (see postmodernism).

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Feminist philosophy refers to philosophy approached from a feminist perspective. Feminist philosophy involves both attempts to use the methods of philosophy to further the cause of the feminist movements, and attempts to criticise or re-evaluate the ideas of traditional philosophy from within a feminist framework.[1]

There is no one school of feminist philosophy: feminist philosophers, as philosophers, are found in both the analytic and Continental traditions, and the myriad different viewpoints taken on philosophical issues within those traditions; and feminist philosophers, as feminists, are found belonging to the many different varieties of feminism.[1]

Feminism has provided a new perspective to many traditional problems of philosophy. For example, feminist epistemologists have challenged traditional ideas of how we know things and of rationality, by arguing that these traditional philosophical ideas are based on male assumptions and perspectives and ignore women's voices. Some feminists have also particularly attacked the aggressive argumentative style of traditional philosophy as being male-focused and patriarchal in nature. However, other feminists have defended the traditional philosophical method, arguing that the aggressiveness of traditional philosophy can be used to feminist ends. Some feminists have criticised other feminists for attacking traditional philosophy as aggressive, on the grounds that aggression is a valid female trait, and that feminists should not seek to repeat traditional sex roles which say women can't be aggressive (much less intellectually so).

Contents

Feminist philosophers

Feminist philosophy critics

Critics of feminist philosophy are not generally critics of feminism as a political or cultural movement; only the technical philosophic positions put forth under the title "feminist philosophy".

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Gatens, M., Feminism and Philosophy: Perspectives on Difference and Equality (Indiana University Press, 1991)

External links


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