FEMINISTIC SELFCount On A Woman To Really Know Herself

Alternatives

The 1st alternative: The Feminist Philosophers’ stand There is a sound foundation of feminist

philosophers’ claim that women’s view of her ‘self’ is different from man.

The 2nd alternative: The Critics of Feminist Philosophy There is no difference between how the self

is defined for men and women.

Introduction

“All that has been written about women by men should be suspect, for the men are at once judge and party to the lawsuit. Being men, those who have made and compiled the laws have favored their own sex, and jurists have elevated these laws into principles.”

- Poulain de la Barre

Introduction

Activity! In the piece of paper given, please write

down how you see yourself in 5-10 years time.

Time allotted: 3 mins.

Feminism Today

Special presentation

Simoune de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) Masculinity as Normalcy, Woman as Peculiarity

What is a Woman? “To state the question is, to me, to suggest, at once, a preliminary answer. The fact that I ask it is in itself significant.”

Man: Man represents both the positive and the neutral, as is indicated by the common use of man to designate human beings in general

Woman’s Peculiarity: Man regards the body of woman as a hindrance, a prison, weighed down by everything peculiar to it; Woman has ovaries, a uterus: these peculiarities imprison her in her subjectivity, circumscribe her within the limits of her own nature

Simoune de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) Man as Absolute, Woman as Other

Relative Being to Man; not autonomous but incidental; inessential (object-woman) as opposed to the essential (subject-man)

St. Thomas: ‘imperfect man’, an ‘incidental’ being Rapport d’Uriel “Man can think of himself without

woman. She cannot think of herself without man.” For him she is sex – absolute sex SocietyHegel, it is natural for him to be hostile

against those who are different from him—in this light, is the woman is the most different from him.

Simoune de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) Master–Slave Relation

“No subject will readily volunteer to become the object, the inessential; it is not the Other who, in defining himself as the Other, establishes the One. The Other is posed as such by the One in defining himself as the One. But if the Other is not to regain the status of being the One, he must be submissive enough to accept this alien point of view.”

Conscious yet continued submission Failure to bring about the necessary change

because Woman’s existence has been equally dependent on the existence of man

Simoune de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) Master–Slave Relation

Indeed, along with the ethical urge of each individual to affirm his subjective existence, there is also the temptation to forgo liberty and become a thing.

This is an inauspicious road, for he who takes it – passive, lost, ruined – becomes henceforth the creature of another’s will, frustrated in his transcendence and deprived of every value.

But it is an easy road; on it one avoids the strain involved in undertaking an authentic existence.

When man makes of woman the Other, he may, then, expect to manifest deep-seated tendencies towards complicity.

Thus, woman may fail to lay claim to the status of subject because she lacks definite resources, because she feels the necessary bond that ties her to man regardless of reciprocity, and because she is often very well pleased with her role as the Other.

Germaine Greer’sThe Female Eunuch (1972) Females are considered as sexual

objects for the appreciation of sexual beings—that is, men.

“For women…demands are made upon them to contour their bodies in order to please the eyes of the others.” Women hence become so insecure that

they do everything to satisfy such demands whether it is rational or not.

Germaine Greer’sThe Female Eunuch (1972) The Stereotype

“…more than body than soul, more soul than mind.”

“All that exist, exists to beautify her.” Women are there to showcase of wealth and caste. “She is the Sexual Object sought by all men, and

by all women... Her value is solely attested by the demand she excites in others. All she must contribute is her existence… She need never give positive evidence of her moral character because virtue is assumed from her loveliness, and her passivity.”

Germaine Greer’sThe Female Eunuch (1972) The Stereotype

“the more trouble she can cause, the more her stocks pile up, for possession of her means the more demand she excites”

“Her essential quality is castratedness. She absolutely must be young, her body hairless, her flesh buoyant, and she must not have a sexual organ. No musculature must distort the smoothness of the lines of her body, although she may be painfully slender or warmly cuddly. Her expression must betray no hint of humor, curiosity or intelligence…”

Germaine Greer’sThe Female Eunuch (1972) Womanpower

“like a woman” phenomenon when you ask a woman about herself, she

understands it to be her body Womanpower means the self-determination

of women

Arguments against Feminism Michael Baker

Catholic perspective: Feminism is considered to be a “false and evil philosophy and it works great harm in society” Marriage vs Career Motherhood vs Contraception

“Man” Feminism is forcing that there is no man as a

whole but only - Men and Women

Arguments against Feminism Michael Baker

Men and Women are different Have different abilities and characteristics Meant to complement each other not to

compete with each other Created differently: have different obligations

and should be treated differently

Paradox of Feminism- fighting for women’s rights

In reality: fighting for men’s rights

Arguments against Feminism Reardon

Feminism flourished in the 2nd half of the 20th century Gradual acceptance of contraception and

abortion

Feminists value: Importance of the “right to choose”

Has led many women to take their marriage and children for granted to pursue a career

Arguments against Feminism Sue Bohlin

Women were made to believe that they can handle everything from their families to their careers

Men do respect women with accomplishments BUT in terms of relationships, this may not be

included in the criteria. Since men are different from women, they look for

feminine attributes that are naturally present in women

Feminism: women must be accomplished WHAT exactly is accomplishment?

Definition may vary

For Anti Feminism proponents:

Conclusion

Results from activity show.... Personal application The group unanimously concludes that...

There is a sound foundation of feminist philosophers’ claim that

women’s view of her ‘self’ is different from man.