Martha Nussbaum’s Universalist Feminism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/1677-2954.2018v17n2p205Abstract
In this article, I present philosopher Martha Nussbaum’s defense of political liberalism, understood as the liberal Enlightenment tradition that goes from Kant to Rawls. Many feminists have objected that the liberal conception of human nature and political philosophy cannot constitute an adequate foundation for women liberation. Nussbaum objects to this view by showing that liberalism offers universal concepts, which are essential values for the feminist movement and women's struggle, such as the notion of person, self-respect, capacity for choice, and equal consideration of the value and dignity of human beings. In addition, feminist movements currently use these concepts to grond their claims. In the end, I present the notion of capability, showing how this concept responds to criticism of universalist feminism.
References
Referências:
Jaggar, A. Feminist Politics and Human Nature.Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Allanheld,1983.
Noddings, Nel. Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education. Berkeley: University of California Press,1984.
Nussbaum, M. ”The feminist Critique of Liberalism”. In: Sex and Social Justice Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Nussbaum, M. “In Defense of Universal Values”. In: Sterba, J. Controversies in Feminism. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2001
Nussbaum, M. “Capability and Well- Being”. In: Nussbaum and Sen. The quality of life. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993
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