Feminist Morality

by Held, Virginia

• ISBN13: 9780226325934
• ISBN10: 0226325938
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-11-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

How is feminism changing the way women and men think, feel, and act? Virginia Held explores how feminist theory is changing contemporary views of moral choice. She proposes a comprehensive philosophy of feminist ethics, arguing persuasively for reconceptualizations of the self; of relations between the self and others; and of images of birth and death, nurturing and violence. Held shows how social, political, and cultural institutions have traditionally been founded upon masculine ideals of morality. She then identifies a distinct feminist morality that moves beyond culturally embedded notions about motherhood and female emotionality. Examining the effects of this alternative moral and ethical system on changing social values, Held discusses its far-reaching implications for altering standards of freedom, democracy, equality, and personal development. Ultimately, she concludes, the culture of feminism could provide a fresh perspective on--even solutions to--contemporary social problems. Feminist Morality makes a vital contribution to the ongoing debate in feminist theory on the importance of motherhood. For philosophers and other readers outside feminist theory, it offers a feminist moral and social critique in clear and accessible terms.

Table of Contents

Series Editor's Foreword	vii
Acknowledgments	xi
The Feminist Transformation of Consciousness and Culture	1	(21)
Feminist Moral Inquiry: Method and Prospects	22	(21)
Transformations of Moral Concepts	43	(21)
Moral Theory from a Feminist Perspective	64	(27)
Shaping Feminist Culture	91	(21)
Preconceptions of Birth and Death	112	(26)
Gender and Violence	138	(22)
Feminist Interpretations of Liberty and Equality	160	(14)
Democracy and the Critique of Individualism	174	(18)
Noncontractual Society: The Postpatriarchal Family as Model	192	(21)
Epilogue: The Feminist Future	213	(18)
Notes	231	(26)
Selected Bibliography	257	(16)
Credits	273	(2)
Index	275