Ethics Of Care: Emotion As A Feminist Argument

The use of the logical appeals in “6 Feminist Myths That Will Not Die” by Christina Hoff Sommers addresses six hot-button issues that many feminists claim to be true. She debunks these myths using statistics and reliable up to date sources to assure readers that these wide known _____ are myths. Hoff Sommers uses Ethos and Logos to support her reasoning throughout the article, however, her arguments seem to lack pathos.

She quotes statements made ““Women do not understand politics”, we are told; “Women do not care for politics”; “Women are unfit for politics””; and then includes her opinion “It is frankly inconceivable, from the androcentric viewpoint….” The author uses pathos to express her message of an outraged cry. She uses quotes of others to show political inequality, while adding in her opinion and facts to discredit the remarks made about women. She emphasis her opinion about the oppression of women’s political rights using pathos, to make the reader feel emotionally obligated to stand with her.

Ethics, or moral philosophy, as a field of intellectual inquiry developed in the west for well over two thousand years with minimal input from women. Women's voices have been virtually absent from western ethics until this century. The absence of female voices has meant that the moral concerns of men have preoccupied traditional western ethics, the moral perspectives of men have shaped its methods and concepts, and male biases against women have gone virtually unchallenged within it. Feminist ethics explores the fundamental effect of this imbalance on moral philosophy and seeks to rectify it. So the questions we face are: Do women have a distinct moral perspective? How if at all is gender

Susan Sherwin’s view on abortion is primarily focused through the lens of feminist philosophy. Her article focuses primarily on how the feminist view provides more holistic, and less cold view on the topic of abortion that is more inclusive of the mother. The feminist view of abortion is primarily focused on looking at the factors that affect the mother through the process of the abortion, such as a woman’s feelings around the fetus, is conception, her partner, and her obligations. These are all factors that are not usually thought of by non-feminist thinkers. This is usually because the discussion around this topic is, as the author puts it “generally grounded in masculinist concepts of freedom (such as privacy, individual choice, and individuals’ property rights with respect to their own bodies)” (Sherwin.1997, 100). This view, as she puts it, primarily focuses on the morality and legal aspects of abortion. The basis of Sherwin’s paper centers around a feminist model from which to look at abortion. This model takes into account the emotional impact that an unwanted pregnancy has on the woman, who will be impacted most by this event. It gives sole power of design to the woman, who “may make mistakes in their moral judgements, but no one else can be assumed to have the authority to evaluate and overrule their judgements”. (Sherwin.1997, 102) Sherwin also advocates against the division of the mother and the fetus as separate entities during bioethical discussions. This also

Will Kymlicka has considered the basic three such arguments. The first argument basically deals with the ‘gender-neutral’ on sexual discrimination. The second argument deals with public-private distinction. Both of these arguments claim essential aspects of liberal and democratic concept of justice that are generally male bias. On the other hand, the third argument claims that the very emphasis on justice is itself and everywhere reflective of a male bias, and that the theory which is responsive to interest and experiences of women will replace the emphasis on justice with an emphasis on caring. These all arguments carry an idea, which is limited to some extent, of the scope of recent feminist theory, but they raise some necessary issues which

The feminist movement of the 1960’s focused solely on the improvement and well- being of women. The idea of Feminism is a critical theory as it is an analytical examination of social conditions and what tools could be utilized to proactively improve these conditions. Overcoming the consistent barriers women had to endure during this era remains prevalent and continues to have psychological effects. In order to strengthen one’s mindset regarding feminism, we must first refer back and understand the intellectual history of the women’s movement and examine areas of how counseling can assist with overcoming these impediments. The Feminist philosophy is the philosophical dimension of intellectual feminism. Many philosophers understand their intellectual history and the history of the women's movement in terms of three "waves."

Women’s bodies are so often treated like sex objects. This sexual objectification means women are treated as just that: hypersexualized beings as opposed to women with intellect and opinion. Sexual objectification is what leads to women being harassed for breastfeeding in public, and it reminds women that their bodies are the most important thing about them. When society sees women as objects and nothing more, it tends to derive their self-worth from the clothes they wear or how they present themselves. This is exactly how attackers and jurors alike blame rape victims for the crime committed against them. This method of hypersexualizing women is at best degrading and at worst terribly dangerous. If feminism is asking for the equal treatment of men and women, the piece is questioning why men don’t have to put up with the constant scrutiny women do. It wants to know why a woman’s worth is derived from her physical appearance, yet society values the input of nearly all men regardless of body type. Judgments by Rosea Lake is a feminist publication because it questions why women are not treated with the same dignity men

I am currently a computer science major and plan on becoming a computer programmer. My love for technology including video games is unique along with my morals. Through the course we covered five moral philosophies which can fit into my life. There is not a perfect moral philosophy, which is why I will be taking bits and parts from the five different one to make one which fits my life style and morals. The five I will be dissecting are, Utilitarianism, Social Contract Theory, Kant, The Ethics of Care, and Virtue Ethics.

While ethics theories often focus on justice, care, an "equally valid moral perspective," is usually disregarded because of male bias. The two perspectives are often pleasant-sounding, but a need for care point of view precedence exists. While truth is evident in both these statements, the problem of distinguishing between them becomes apparent soon after. Many feminist look to psychologist Carol Gilligan's research for evidence to confirm the difference between characteristically male and female approaches to moral decision making. Her research illustrated how men almost unfailingly focus on justice when making moral decisions and women use justice and care in equal proportions in their moral judgments. While men and women take different

It is widely known that some people possess personalities that have the natural ability to be more empathetic and caring towards others compared to other people. Unfortunately, the stereotype and generalizing of viewing women as automatically more empathetic than men is also prominent in today’s culture. This fundamental image of women and men possessing different views on morality is discussed with Carol Gilligan’s theory of “care ethics” which is more based on feministic views compared to Kohlberg’s “justice ethics” which focuses on the moral development of boys (Caputo, 2000).

Abortion is an extremely controversial matter today because every year, in the United States, 6.4 million women get pregnant, and half of these pregnancies are unintended, half of these unintended pregnancies end in abortion. (Indiana University Press) In the United States there are two real perspectives on abortion, there is the pro-life, and the pro-choice. This essay will focus on the ethical perspectives of both sides and the reasoning behind them. Abortion should be kept pro-choice because of the multitude of reasons women want them. In a recent study, 89% of women gave at least two reasons for wanting an abortion, 72% gave at least three, and the median number was

“You cannot be a humanist unless you are a feminist. You either advocate equality for all or you are a misanthrope” (Michael A. Sherlock). From women’s suffrage to abortion laws feminism has evolved with contemporary battles and a variety of approaches. The

It is essential to take Feminist ethics into consideration. Feminist ethics is providing a new approach to traditional ethics. Ethics have previously been formed around male-based assumptions. This new approach does not have to reject other forms of ethics but it can simply be a supplement. It will help aide different forms of ethics to make them less dehumanizing. We can allow feminist ethics to conform our moral framework while taking the insights of other forms of ethics into consideration but still acknowledging their shortcomings. Kantian ethics shows that reasoning is important and that we as humans should know what is right or wrong, but how one reasons and how decisions are made may vary in different situations. Kant leans more toward straight set rules that lead to a set of ethics that are too ridged. Utilitarianism is a form of ethics that thinks that the consequences are what matters, but can we really what those consequences will be. This is when feminist ethics will benefit traditional ethics as a supplement. It will help separate ethics from their male-based roots and will help make it equal for all individuals by showing interest in all activities, issues, values an moral experience for everyone and not just males or one certain group. Feminism is relatable and will show concern. Feminist ethics is taking a more caring approach to traditional forms of ethics and values relationships and

Care Ethics (Feminist Ethics) is the importance of caring relationships in life whether its human or animal related. The main goal of care ethics is to maintain and promote caring relationships. Care ethics involves helping both yourself and the world around you. It gives you the motivation to care for others beside yourself. Care ethics according to the article is more a “general approach” than a theory in regards to other ethical practices. The goal of care ethics is to show that women have the same equal rights as men and that they both have freedoms of their own. This is important as this is helping to address equality among the human race. Care ethics as a whole revolves around emotions.

The most controversial field of feminist’s actions is women’s rights to the control over their bodies with respect to fertility, sexual relationships, rape and medical power over women’s health. Male control over women’s bodies has also traditionally expressed itself through