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Simone de Beauvoir, Philosophy, and Feminism
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Simone de Beauvoir, Philosophy, and Feminism Hardcover - 2001

by Nancy Bauer


From the publisher

In the introduction to The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir notes that "a man never begins by establishing himself as an individual of a certain sex: his being a man poses no problem." Nancy Bauer begins her book by asking: "Then what kind of a problem does being a woman pose?" Bauer's aim is to show that in answering this question The Second Sex dramatizes the extent to which being a woman poses a philosophical problem. This book is a call for philosophers as well as feminists to turn, or return to, The Second Sex. Bauer shows that Beauvoir's magnum opus, written a quarter-century before the development of contemporary feminist philosophy, constitutes a meditation on the relationship between women and philosophy that remains profoundly undervalued. She argues that the extraordinary effect The Second Sex has had on women's lives, then and now, can be traced to Beauvoir's discovery of a new way to philosophize--a way grounded in her identity as a woman. In offering a new interpretation of The Second Sex, Bauer shows how philosophy can be politically productive for women while remaining genuinely philosophical.

First line

Although most of us have come to terms politically with the idea of feminist philosophy, there is ample evidence that for the most part neither feminists nor philosophers wish to bestow unqualified intellectual approval on it.

Details

  • Title Simone de Beauvoir, Philosophy, and Feminism
  • Author Nancy Bauer
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition Second Printing
  • Pages 288
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Columbia University Press, New York U. S. A.
  • Date July 15, 2001
  • ISBN 9780231116640 / 0231116640
  • Weight 1.23 lbs (0.56 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.3 x 6.32 x 0.87 in (23.62 x 16.05 x 2.21 cm)
  • Reading level 1560
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: Modern
    • Sex & Gender: Feminine
  • Library of Congress subjects Feminist theory, Feminism
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 00069417
  • Dewey Decimal Code 305.420

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 01/01/2002, Page 893
  • Reference and Research Bk News, 11/01/2001, Page 133

About the author

Nancy Bauer is assistant professor of philosophy at Tufts University.