PP110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Social Contract, Noble Eightfold Path, Deontological Ethics
Document Summary
Criticism: traditional ethical theories demonstrate a bias, reflecting male preoccupations. Their ethical theories fail to take female perspective into account. Consequently, these theories are compromised, even wrong. Helpful way to understand this criticism is to think in terms of dichotomies that lead to difference between male and female perspectives. Traditionally at least men have been the principal agents in the arena of public discourse. They have been the politicians, soldiers, captains of industry, etc. Women, on the other hand, have been principal agents in the arena of domestic affairs. Ex: they"re the main rearers of children and they have the most power concerning major domestic decisions. There has also been perceived to be a difference in the modus operandi of women and men. They operate on different assumptions, different attitudes towards ethical problems in particular. Men tend to apply reason as much as possible, while women take a more nuanced attitude towards its application.
