EthicsLesson 2 of 2 in the course Normative Moral Theory

Feminist Ethics: Gender, Care, and Intersectionality

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Feminist ethics examines how gender and power shape moral ideas, social practices, and people’s lived experiences. This lesson introduces feminism’s critique of traditional moral theory and explores how concepts such as femininity, gender binarism, and essentialism have shaped ethical thinking.

Feminism is a political and philosophical movement that aims to end sexism and promote social justice. Feminist ethicists investigate how gendered assumptions influence moral beliefs and practices, as well as how power shapes relationships and social development.

All flashcards

How do Gilligan’s care and justice perspectives differ?
The justice perspective emphasizes principles, autonomy, and general norms; the care perspective emphasizes relationships, responsibility, and caring for others.
What is the caring relationship in care ethics?
An ethical model in which a caretaker accepts responsibility and attends to the interests of the person receiving care.
What does partiality mean in Noddings’s account of care?
Moral deliberation may appropriately take account of particular people and relational responsibilities.
What is intersectionality?
The ways aspects of identity, such as gender, race, sexuality, and class, interact to shape lived experience.
What should feminist alternative moral frameworks attend to?
All people’s interests, vulnerable and overlooked people, concrete circumstances, and genuine equality.

Quiz questions

  1. Which aim is central to feminism as described in feminist ethics?Answer: Ending sexism and promoting social justice.
  2. Why do feminists question traditional moral theories that claim to be universal and objective?Answer: They may present a privileged group’s experience as typical while overlooking others.
  3. What does gender binarism claim?Answer: People can be categorized into one of two genders, male or female.
  4. What concern can arise from essentialist claims about gender?Answer: They can treat diverse people as sharing fixed defining characteristics.
  5. What does care ethics emphasize when considering a moral decision?Answer: People’s needs, relationships, responsibilities, and particular circumstances.

Based on Introduction to Philosophy by Nathan Smith (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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