Living With Contradictions: Controversies In Feminist Social Ethics

by Alison M. Jaggar

Some people believe that feminist ethics is little more than a series of dogmatic positions on issues such as abortion rights, pornography, and affirmative action.This caricature was never true, but Alison Jaggar’s Living with Contradictions is the first book to demonstrate just how rich and complex feminist ethics has become. Beginning with the modest assumption that feminism demands an examination of moral issues with a commitment to ending women’s subordination, this anthology shows that one can no longer divide social issues into those that are feminist and those that are not.Living with Contradictions does address many of the traditionally “feminist” issues. But it also includes issues not generally recognized as gendered, such as militarism, environmentalism, and the treatment of animals, demonstrating the value of a feminist perspective in these cases. And, far from reflecting any monolithic orthodoxy, the book shows that there is a rich diversity of views on many moral issues among those who share a feminist commitment.Readers can sample a varied selection of papers and essays from books, journals, newspapers, and grassroots newsletters. Covering a wide range of moral issues, this collection refuses to offer simple solutions, choosing instead to reflect the complexities and contradictions facing anyone attempting to live up to feminist ideals in a painfully pre-feminist world.Based on years of the editor’s work in the field, imaginatively edited, and including generous introductions for students, this is the ideal text for introducing feminist perspectives into courses in ethics, social ethics, and public policy.

Genres: Feminism, Philosophy, Nonfiction

726 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 1994

About the author

Alison M. Jaggar is a College Professor of Distinction in the Philosophy and Women and Gender Studies departments at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is also a Research Coordinator at the Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature, University of Oslo, Norway. Jaggar was one of the first people to introduce feminist concerns in to philosophy. She is a founding member of the Society for Women in Philosophy, was instrumental in the creation of the field of feminist studies, and taught what she believes to have been the first feminist philosophy course ever offered.

Jaggar's work has been hugely influential, with Rosemarie Tong and Nancy Williams suggesting in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy that "If ethics is about human beings' liberation, then Alison Jaggar's summary of the fourfold function of feminist ethics cannot be improved upon in any significant way" and Jaggar's texts being considered classics.

Jaggar received a bachelor's in philosophy at Bedford College, University of London in 1964. She received a master's in philosophy from the University of Edinburgh in 1967, and her doctorate in philosophy from the State University of New York, Buffalo in 1970. During her career, Jaggar has held appointments at SUNY Buffalo, Miami University of Ohio, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of California, Los Angeles, Rutgers University, Victoria University of Wellington, and the University of Oslo.

Jaggar has authored a large number of widely cited papers, most notably Love and knowledge: Emotion in feminist epistemology, published in 1989 and cited by at least 800 other peer-reviewed papers as of August, 2013. Jaggar has also acted as co-editor for the first issue of Telos, and was an associate editor of Hypatia from 2006-2008.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It provides a great overview of the different types of feminism (liberal, radical, eco, etc) and the issues that feminists continue to debate (affirmative action, prostitution, pornography, abortion, militarism, etc). My only wish would be for an updated version with newer statistics.

[Sarah Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great selection of feminist writings from the key theorists.