Review by Choice Review
After twenty-odd years in the academy, feminist philosophy remains marginalized. One reason relates to the entrenchment of sexism. Another, according to Nagl-Docekal (Univ. of Vienna, Austria), has to do with some influential feminist philosophers advocating "rhetorically excessive" positions that encourage easy dismissal of urgent issues. In this closely argued text, Nagl-Docekal demonstrates why responsible philosophers working on a broad range of topics cannot ignore feminist critique. Tracking feminist criticism in philosophical anthropology, aesthetics, philosophy of science and rationality, philosophy of law, political theory, and ethics, she aims to clarify and modulate some lines of argument while amplifying others. Elizabeth Grosz, Helene Cixous, Evelyn Fox Keller, Luce Irigaray, Judith Butler, and Carole Pateman come in for particular scrutiny, as do various receptions of Freud. The author's own approach is Kantian. Her integration of analytic and Continental approaches is particularly valuable, as is her sober, systematic view; she shows clearly the implications of distinctions made in one line of discussion for other topics. The author's focus on the most influential lines of argument offered by the thinkers she examines does not account for later development. The work is, however, stylistically accessible to advanced undergraduates. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty/researchers. A. B. Curry St. Joseph College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
