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Intro to Philosophy
Table of Contents
Unit 9 Overview: Normative Moral Theory
9.1 Requirements of a Normative Moral Theory
9.2 Consequentialism
9.3 Deontology
9.4 Virtue Ethics
9.5 Daoism
9.6 Feminist Theories of Ethics

Feminist theories of ethics challenge traditional moral philosophies by emphasizing care, relationships, and diverse perspectives. These approaches highlight how gender, along with other identities, shapes our ethical reasoning and decision-making processes.

Concepts like care ethics, intersectionality, and feminist critiques of traditional ethics offer new ways to think about morality. They encourage us to consider context, power dynamics, and the experiences of marginalized groups when making ethical choices.

Feminist Theories of Ethics

Principles of care ethics

  • Emphasizes empathy, compassion, and attentiveness as crucial in moral decision-making
    • Focuses on interdependence and relationships between individuals (family, friends, community)
    • Prioritizes needs of vulnerable or dependent persons (children, elderly, disabled)
  • Challenges traditional ethical theories that prioritize impartiality, autonomy, and universal principles
    • Argues these theories often neglect importance of context and personal relationships (specific situations, emotional bonds)
  • Developed by feminist philosophers Nel Noddings and Carol Gilligan
    • Gilligan's "In a Different Voice" (1982) highlighted differences in moral reasoning between men and women (justice vs. care orientation)
  • Relevant to feminist moral philosophy by:
    • Recognizing value of traditionally feminine traits like empathy and compassion
    • Emphasizing importance of considering unique experiences and perspectives of marginalized groups (women, minorities)
    • Challenging notion of a universal, gender-neutral moral standard
  • Ethics of care emphasizes the importance of relationships and context in moral reasoning

Feminist challenges to traditional ethics

  • Traditional ethical theories often assume male perspective and neglect women's experiences
    • Kant's deontological ethics emphasizes universal principles and autonomy, may not account for relational nature of many women's lives (caregiving roles)
    • Utilitarianism focuses on maximizing overall happiness, may overlook disproportionate burden on women as caregivers (emotional labor, domestic work)
  • Feminist thinkers argue gender roles and expectations shape moral decision-making
    • Women often socialized to prioritize others' needs and value emotional labor (nurturing, empathy)
    • Men often socialized to prioritize individual achievement and view emotions as weaknesses (stoicism, competition)
  • Challenging traditional gender roles and expectations in ethical theories by:
    • Recognizing value of traditionally feminine traits and experiences (compassion, relationality)
    • Questioning assumption of a gender-neutral moral agent (acknowledging gendered socialization)
    • Advocating for inclusion of diverse perspectives in moral reasoning (women's voices, marginalized groups)
  • Feminist epistemology challenges traditional ways of knowing and emphasizes the role of gender in knowledge production

Intersectionality in feminist ethics

  • Intersectionality recognizes individuals' experiences shaped by multiple, overlapping identities
    • Race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, etc. (Black women, queer people of color)
    • Developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw to highlight unique experiences of Black women (facing both racism and sexism)
    • Emphasizes importance of considering interconnected nature of oppressive systems (white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism)
  • Important in contemporary feminist ethical discourse for:
    • Challenging notion of a universal "women's experience" (acknowledging diversity among women)
    • Recognizing diversity within feminist thought and need for inclusive perspectives (women of color feminisms, queer theory)
    • Highlighting ethical implications of overlapping forms of marginalization and privilege (compounded oppression, intersectional justice)
  • Impacts moral decision-making by:
    • Encouraging consideration of multiple perspectives and experiences (listening to marginalized voices)
    • Emphasizing importance of context and power dynamics in ethical reasoning (systemic inequalities, historical oppression)
    • Challenging assumption of a single, universal moral standard (acknowledging cultural relativism)
    • Promoting a more nuanced and inclusive approach to moral decision-making (intersectional analysis, coalition-building)

Additional Feminist Ethical Concepts

  • Relational autonomy: Recognizes that individual autonomy is shaped by social relationships and contexts
  • Maternal thinking: Emphasizes the ethical insights gained from mothering experiences and practices
  • Situated knowledge: Argues that all knowledge is partial and influenced by the knower's social position
  • Gender essentialism: Critiques the idea that there are inherent, fixed differences between men and women

Key Terms to Review (30)

Utilitarianism: Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that holds the view that the morally right course of action is the one that maximizes overall happiness or well-being for the greatest number of people. It focuses on the consequences of our actions rather than the intentions or the inherent nature of the actions themselves.
Feminist Epistemology: Feminist epistemology is a branch of epistemology that examines the role of gender in the construction and validation of knowledge. It challenges traditional, male-centric approaches to knowledge production and seeks to incorporate women's experiences and perspectives into the understanding of what counts as legitimate knowledge.
Deontological Ethics: Deontological ethics is a normative ethical theory that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules. It is commonly contrasted with consequentialist theories such as utilitarianism, which judge the morality of an action based on its consequences. The term 'deontology' comes from the Greek words 'deon' meaning duty and 'logos' meaning study.
Cultural Relativism: Cultural relativism is the view that moral, ethical, and other cultural norms and values are relative to the specific cultural context in which they are found. It holds that there are no universal moral or cultural truths, and that what is considered right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable, is determined by the particular cultural framework.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality is a theoretical framework that examines how various social identities, such as race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, and other axes of identity, intersect and overlap to create unique experiences of discrimination and privilege. It emphasizes that these identities cannot be examined in isolation, but must be understood in relation to one another.
Feminist Critique: Feminist critique is a philosophical approach that examines and challenges traditional ethical theories and frameworks from the perspective of gender equality and the lived experiences of women. It seeks to uncover and address the patriarchal biases and androcentric assumptions inherent in mainstream moral philosophy.
Nel Noddings: Nel Noddings is a renowned philosopher and educator who has made significant contributions to the field of feminist ethics. Her work focuses on the ethics of care, emphasizing the importance of empathy, compassion, and the cultivation of caring relationships in moral decision-making.
White Supremacy: White supremacy is the belief, theory, or doctrine that the white race is inherently superior to all other races and that white people should have control over people of other races. It is a form of racism that has been used to justify the oppression, exploitation, and subjugation of non-white populations throughout history.
Women of Color Feminisms: Women of color feminisms refer to the diverse perspectives and approaches to feminist theory and activism developed by women of color, who have historically been marginalized within mainstream feminism. These feminisms center the experiences, struggles, and intersectional identities of women of color, challenging the white, middle-class, and Eurocentric biases of traditional feminist thought.
Simone de Beauvoir: Simone de Beauvoir was a prominent French existentialist philosopher, writer, and feminist who made significant contributions to the fields of feminist ethics and continental philosophy's challenge to Enlightenment theories. She is best known for her groundbreaking work on the concept of gender and the lived experiences of women.
Liberal Feminists: Liberal feminists believe that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men within the existing social and political structure. They focus on achieving legal and political equality through reforms and working within the current system, rather than seeking to radically transform society.
Relational Autonomy: Relational autonomy is a feminist philosophical concept that emphasizes the inherently social and relational nature of human beings, and how this shapes our capacity for self-governance and moral agency. It challenges the traditional liberal notion of the autonomous individual as independent and self-sufficient, arguing that our identities, values, and choices are fundamentally shaped by our social relationships and contexts.
Essentialism: Essentialism is the belief that things have a set of characteristics that make them what they are, and that the essential properties of an object or entity define its fundamental nature and cannot be changed. In the context of feminist theories of ethics, essentialism refers to the idea that there are inherent, fixed, and immutable qualities that define what it means to be a woman or a man.
Patriarchy: Patriarchy is a social system in which power is predominantly held by men, wherein they dominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. It is a system that privileges masculine traits and perspectives over feminine ones, often to the detriment of women and other marginalized genders.
Carol Gilligan: Carol Gilligan is a renowned American feminist ethicist and psychologist who has made significant contributions to the field of feminist theories of ethics. She is best known for her groundbreaking work that challenged the traditional, male-centric approaches to moral development and ethical decision-making.
Second Wave Feminism: Second Wave Feminism was a period of feminist activity and thought that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. This wave of feminism focused on challenging the systemic and institutional inequalities women faced, particularly in the areas of sexuality, family, and the workplace.
Justice Orientation: Justice orientation refers to the ethical perspective that emphasizes the importance of fairness, equality, and the fair distribution of rights, resources, and responsibilities within a society. It is a central concept in feminist theories of ethics, which seek to address issues of gender-based injustice and promote a more equitable social order.
Third Wave Feminism: Third Wave Feminism is a continuation and expansion of the feminist movement, emerging in the late 20th century as a response to the perceived failures and shortcomings of the earlier waves of feminism. It focuses on addressing a more diverse range of issues, including intersectionality, sexuality, gender identity, and the empowerment of marginalized groups within the feminist movement.
Queer Theory: Queer theory is a critical theory that challenges traditional notions of gender, sexuality, and identity. It emerged from feminist and LGBTQ+ studies, and seeks to destabilize and deconstruct normative conceptions of sexuality and gender, often in the context of power structures and societal oppression.
Care Ethics: Care ethics is a feminist approach to moral philosophy that emphasizes the importance of caring, empathy, and relationships in moral decision-making. It shifts the focus from abstract principles to the concrete realities of human lives and the interdependence of individuals within a community.
Feminism: Feminism is a social and political movement that advocates for the rights, equality, and empowerment of women. It seeks to challenge and dismantle the systemic oppression and discrimination faced by women in various aspects of society, including the context of 9.6 Feminist Theories of Ethics.
Capitalism: Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. It is characterized by the accumulation of capital, competitive markets, and wage labor.
Ethics of Care: The ethics of care is a moral theory that emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relationships and the responsibility to care for and respond to the needs of others. It focuses on the contextual and relational aspects of moral decision-making, rather than abstract principles or rules.
Autonomy: Autonomy refers to the capacity of an individual to make informed, independent choices and decisions about their own life without undue external influence or coercion. It is a fundamental principle in various ethical frameworks, including deontology, feminist theories of ethics, and bioethics. Autonomy is closely linked to the notion of self-governance, where individuals have the freedom and ability to direct their own actions and lives according to their own values, beliefs, and preferences. It is often seen as a key component of personal liberty and the right to self-determination.
Standpoint Theory: Standpoint theory is a feminist theoretical framework that emphasizes the importance of the social and political standpoint from which knowledge is produced. It posits that an individual's experiences and social location shape their perspective and understanding of the world, leading to unique and situated knowledge.
Kimberlé Crenshaw: Kimberlé Crenshaw is a leading scholar and activist in the field of critical race theory, known for her pioneering work on intersectionality. Her research and advocacy have significantly influenced feminist theories of ethics by highlighting the importance of considering multiple, intersecting forms of oppression and discrimination.
Maternal Thinking: Maternal thinking refers to the distinct form of moral reasoning and decision-making that is associated with the experience of motherhood. It emphasizes the values and ethical considerations that arise from the unique perspective and responsibilities of being a mother.
Situated Knowledge: Situated knowledge is the concept that knowledge and understanding are shaped by the specific social, cultural, and historical context in which they are produced. It challenges the idea of universal, objective knowledge and emphasizes the importance of recognizing how one's own location and perspective influence the knowledge they create.
Gender Essentialism: Gender essentialism is the belief that there are inherent, immutable differences between men and women that are biologically determined. It suggests that gender identity and expression are innate and fixed, rather than socially constructed or fluid.
Power Dynamics: Power dynamics refers to the unequal distribution and exercise of power within interpersonal or group relationships. It describes the complex interplay of influence, control, and authority that shapes interactions and hierarchies between individuals or social groups.