An Invitation to Feminist Ethics

Description

Feminist ethics addresses how power, through gender, affects moral practice and theory. This enterprise is more important than ever before in an age of sharpened attention and concern for feminist issues and injustices. Yet the number of terms which have entered mainstream discussion can quickly overwhelm the novice: intersectionality, gender neutrality, androcentrism. An Invitation to Feminist Ethics offers an easy-to-understand, hospitable approach to the study of feminist moral theory and practice from a renowned ethicist, underscoring its need and the clarifying light it casts on some of the most pressing topics in contemporary society. The work surveys feminist ethical theory, beginning with an explanation of ethics, feminism, and gender before discussing the concepts of discrimination, oppression, gender neutrality, and androcentrism. The work further discusses in-depth intersectionality and microagressions before examining personal identities and how identities are vulnerable to oppression, and what can be done about it. The book also includes a helpful overview of three standard moral theories―social contract theory, utilitarianism, and Kantian ethics―and a discussion of their failings from a feminist point of view, followed by introductions to feminist care theory and feminist responsibility ethics. A "close-ups" section explores three social practices―bioethics, violence, and the globalized economy―within which these concepts are applied, and the need for feminist ethics is most urgent. Cover......Page 1 An Invitation to Feminist Ethics......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 14 PART ONE OVERVIEWS......Page 18 1. What Is Feminist Ethics?......Page 20 1.1 What Is Ethics?......Page 21 1.2 What Is Feminism?......Page 24 1.3 What Is Gender?......Page 27 1.4 Power and Morality......Page 32 1.5 Description and Prescription......Page 33 1.6 Morality and Politics......Page 36 For Further Reading......Page 38 2. Discrimination and Oppression......Page 40 2.1 Gender Neutrality......Page 41 2.2 Androcentrism......Page 43 2.3 Affirmative Action......Page 46 2.4 The Dilemma of Difference......Page 49 2.5 Oppression......Page 50 2.6 Back to Gender Discrimination......Page 54 For Further Reading......Page 56 3. Intersectionality......Page 57 3.1 What Is Intersectionality?......Page 58 3.2 Microaggressions......Page 62 For Further Reading......Page 65 4. The Importance of Who We Are......Page 67 4.1 What Is a Personal Identity?......Page 70 4.2 Damaged Identities......Page 77 4.3 Repairing the Damage......Page 81 4.4 Countering Counterstories......Page 84 For Further Reading......Page 91 5. Standard Moral Theories from a Feminist Perspective......Page 92 5.1 Social Contract Theory......Page 93 5.2 Utilitarianism......Page 97 5.3 Kantian Ethics......Page 100 5.4 What’s Wrong with This Picture?......Page 105 5.5 The PowerPoint Problem......Page 114 For Further Reading......Page 116 6. Feminist Ethics of Care and Responsibility......Page 117 6.1 The Ethics of Care......Page 120 6.2 Feminist Responsibility Ethics......Page 130 For Further Reading......Page 135 PART TWO CLOSE- UPS......Page 138 7. Bioethics......Page 140 7.1 Bioethics in the Dominant Mode......Page 143 7.2 Bioethics in a Feminist Mode......Page 154 For Further Reading......Page 165 8. Violence......Page 167 8.1 Rape and Sexual Harassment......Page 168 8.2 Rape in War......Page 181 8.3 Domestic Violence......Page 184 For Further Reading......Page 189 9. Globalization and Cross-​Cultural Judgments......Page 190 9.1 The So-​Called Southern Debt......Page 191 9.2 Neoliberalism......Page 193 9.3 The Global Version of Women’s Work......Page 197 9.4 Cross-​Cultural Judgments......Page 207 For Further Reading......Page 212 Index......Page 214