Ethics

A Feminist Reader

Plot

The feminist movement has challenged many of the unstated assumptions on which ethics as a branch of philosophy has always rested - assumptions about human nature, moral agency, citizenship and kinship. The twenty-six readings in this book express the discontent of a succession of fiercely articulate women writers, from Mary Wollstonecraft to the present day, with the masculine bias of `morality'. The editors have contributed an overall introduction, which discusses ethics, feminism and feminist themes in ethics, and have provided introductions to each of the readings, designed to situate in their historical and intellectual context. They have also compiled two lists for further ` a Feminist Bibliography' and `The Male Tradition'. A Feminist Reader is an essential resource for students and teachers of philosophy, political theory and women's studies. For anyone with a stake in progressive sexual politics it is an inspirational guide. The volume contains essays Mary Wollstonecraft, Cicely Hamilton, Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan, Christine Delphy, Andrea Dworkin, Rosalind Coward, Nickie Roberts, Emma Goldman, Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, Audre Lorde June Jordan, Jacqueline Rose, Judith Williamson, Seyla Benhabib, Alexandra Kollontai, Adrienne Rich, Kate Soper, Catherine A. MacKinnon, Elizabeth Wilson, Susan F. Parrsons, Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, Sara Ruddick and Sheila Jeffreys.

Contents:
Section 1: Women's Condition 1. Mary Wollstonecraft: Morality Undermined by Sexual Notions of the Importance of a Good Reputation 2. Cicely Hamilton: Marriage as a Trade 3. Margaret Sanger: Woman's Error and Her Debt: Birth Control - a Parents' Problem or a Woman's? 4. Betty Friedan: The Sexual Sell 5. Christine Delphy: Continuities and Discontinuities in Marriage and Divorce 6. Andrea Dworkin: The Politics of Intelligence 7. Rosalind Coward: Naughty but Nice: Food Pornography 8. Nickie Roberts: Sex, Class and Morality Section 2: Gender Difference and Ethics 9. Emma Goldman: The Tragedy of Women's Emancipation 10. Virginia Woolf: Three Guineas 11. Simone de Beauvoir: The Second Sex 12. Audre Lorde: Age, Race, Sex and Class: Women Redefining Difference 13. June Jordan: Report from the Bahamas 14. Jaqueline Rose: Femininity and its Discontents 15. Judith Williamson: Nuclear Family? No Thanks 16. Seyla Benhabib: The Generalized and Concrete Other Section 3: Towards a Feminist Ethics 17. Alexandra Kollontai: Sexual Relations and the Class Struggle 18. Emma Goldran: Jealousy: Causes and a Possible Cure 19. Adrienne Rich: Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying 20. Kate Soper: Contemplating a Nuclear Future 21. Catharine A. MacKinnon: Privacy v. Equality: Beyond Roe and Wade 22. Elizabeth Wilson: Utopian Identities 23. Susan F. Parsons: Feminism and the Logic of Morality: A Consideration of Alternatives 24. Rosalind Pollack Petchesky: Morality and Personhood: A Feminist Perspective 25. Sara Ruddick: Maternal Thinking: Towards a Politics of Peace 26. Sheila Jeffreys: Pornography: Creating the Sexual Future Bibliographies: Ethics - a Feminist Bibliography Ethics - The Male Tradition.