Feminist Epistemology & Standpoint Theory
Gig Φ Philosophy
(at-a-glance overviews of philosophical concepts)
PUBLISHED January, 2024
Prominent theory of knowledge from Feminist Epistemology (i.e., part of the study of knowledge and justified belief)
Classified by (i) situating knowledge / justification / other epistemic status in the individual & (ii) epistemically privileging those who resist traditional marginalization
RECOMMEND READING: (1) Epistemology & (2) Hierarchical Dualism Gig Philosophy pages for (1) traditional accounts of knowledge in the philosophical canon and (2) an overview of the ways in which reason has conventionally been linked to masculinity, while unreason has been linked to femininity.
The historical association of reason with masculinity (i) has nothing to do with claims about relativism [subjectivity], and (ii) is MORE than just misogynist attitudes in philosophical thought; it is the way reason has been understood and developed.
Specifically, reason has been developed with male ideals, which have BOTH: (i) excluded women from the domain of reason, and (ii) devalued ways of knowing associated with women.
Absence of women from the philosophical tradition [and other marginalized voices from traditionally privileged male dominated fields] is the direct result of the conceptualization of reason done exclusively by [white upperclass heteronormative able Christian...] men and for [...] men.
Historical Split: Emotion ≠ Reason
17th c. sharpened contrast: reason = instrumental
18th c. added empiricism (senses + reason):
○ Scientific method neutralizes emotions of individuals
○ Separates emotion from both the senses and reason
This split is NOT absolute or necessary
MYTH OF DISPASSIONATE INVESTIGATION = The tendency to suppress emotions leads to the MYTH that there are dispassionate investigators
FALSE = Emotions are ALWAYS present in investigations
WE MUST RETHINK THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND EMOTION
Solution: Construct a model of Knowledge = REASON + EMOTION (mutually constitutive - both necessary)
Can Traditional Theories Be Fixed?
NO simple solution to this problem.
It is NOT enough to affirm that both sexes are equal in their possession of reason, or that women should / can have equal participation in the acquisition of knowledge.
It is NOT as simple as allowing women to be accommodated into an ideal which has defined itself in opposition to the feminine.
Affirming the value and importance of the feminine CANNOT eradicate the underlying normative structures.
If there is reason that knows no sex and is common to all, it is something that we can aspire for in the FUTURE; as it is NOT in the current accounts of knowledge that are carried from the traditional conceptualization of a male reason
Feminists have NOT been disinterested in traditional philosophical issues, rather they have taken a principled disengagement with / critique of areas they view as inherently sexist.
Feminist Epistemology: Area of feminist philosophy that…
(i) Deals specifically with questions about the nature of knowledge;
(ii) Draws attention to fact that, historically, women been excluded or discouraged from important areas/disciplines of knowledge [particularly in academic institutions]; and
(iii) Examines whether the exclusion of women has had an impact on the subject as a whole
The discipline as a whole is enriched by feminist evaluation
Types of Feminist Epistemology
Maintains traditional understanding of ‘rationality’ and ‘objectivity’
Irrationality = biased / discriminatory practices
Aim: repair equal opportunity for women in institutional philosophy (who have merely been denied this epistemic status)
Problems: Essentialism + Restricted to repair work of existing structures
Maintains Social Constructivism
Reinterpret classic Western canon
Aim: need new paradigms to account for diverse perspectives
Oppressed = epistemically privileged
Problems: Criticisms of empiricism leave open possibility of relativism + Difficulty accounting for intersectionality
Sex and Gender = deconstruct categories
Aim: launch entirely new and dynamic dialogue centered on bodies
Eradicate discourse, no voice is uncontaminated
Problems: Accounting for differences in meaningful ways without discourse
Asserting the maleness of reason is a DEEP philosophical tradition which delegates women to the body (i.e., to the part of the person deemed as irrational) putting women in opposition to knowledge (by associating the female nature with deception)
Example: Use of sex metaphor where womanhood / femininity is associated with the negative aspect(s) / nature of a thing
Can you think of any examples which either align with or departs from this historical pattern?
Correlative power dynamics:
Men = mind = rational
Women = body = irrational
What are emotions?
2 Updated Definitions:
Dictionary: a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others
Feminist Epistemology: intelligent appraisals of a world that we do not control, in the light of our own most significant goals and plans
Once we understand the complex intelligence of emotions, we will also have new reasons to value their work in other arenas. That is, as opposed to how they have been viewed historically (i.e., as being interfering with / being a hinderance to reason / rationality)
Correlative power dynamics:
Men = rational = dominant
Women = irrational [emotional] = subordinated
Based on a misunderstanding of what emotions are
EMOTIONS =
Intentional: not dumb, unspoken, meaningless psychological feelings
Social Constructs: not instinctive, pre-social, or pre-linguistic
Not biologically determined
Active Engagements: not merely involuntary occurrences
Partly voluntary, partly involuntary
Habitual responses constitutive of the world
Valuable: both instrumentally [for survival] and intrinsically [give meaning to life]
PROBLEM: We tend to suppress them [socialization] which gives rise to a myth
Historically Marginalized Persons have 2 kinds of emotions:
“Hegemonic” = conservative emotions
Perpetuate norms + expectations
Serve interests of dominant groups
Hinder new ways of living + thinking
“Outlaw” = unconventional emotions
Due to women’s subordinate position in society = subculture
Incorporate values + beliefs of oppressed
Help rather than hinder knowledge:
Motivate new investigations
Let us perceive world differently
Raise challenges
Traditional Epistemologies:
ATOMISTIC
Individualist knower = generic, interchangeable, self-sufficient
Denies epistemic relevance of ID and social locations
Makes gender of epistemic agent irrelevant
Ignores more complex forms of knowledge [emotive]
Ignores social interactions which make knowledge possible
Feminist Epistemologies:
SITUATED / SOCIAL
Perspectives: shape, limit, & subtly influence knowledge
Some locations are more epistemically reliable than others
Communities as knowers, NOT individuals - individuals can have knowledge, but not independently of communities
Standards set by critical engagement/scrutiny of others
STANDPOINT THEORY
Marginalized gain Epistemic Privilege through fighting one's oppression > DOUBLE VISION
Women = Good at reflecting on emotions b/c of their:
Subordination
Gender-roles
Training for nurturance
But we don’t want to reverse the privilege
Instead, model knowledge nonhierarchically
FORTHCOMING: Epistemic...
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