help_outline Skip to main content
Coastal_website_banner_3-14-23_3K.jpg
HomeEvents/CoursesWhat is Woman? Philosophers Weigh In.

Events/Courses - Event View

This is the "Event Detail" view, showing all available information for this event. If the event has passed, click the "Event Report" button to read a report and view photos that were uploaded.

What is Woman? Philosophers Weigh In.


Since the ancient Greeks, philosophers didn’t have much if anything to say about women. But when they did, they typically argued that sex was destiny. Because they believed that women were deficient in that most important ability, reasoning, women were thought to be inferior to men. And since reasoning was essential for knowing truth, goodness, and justice, any higher pursuits (and most “lower” pursuits too) were, justifiably, closed to women. It wasn’t until the latter part of the 19th century, with John Stuart Mill, that a major philosopher made the radical claim that sex was not destiny: most differences between men and women were likely due to nurture, not nature. Eighty years later, Simone de Beauvoir (The Second Sex, 1948) made this even more explicit with her famous remark: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.”


We will analyze these philosophers’ arguments, from Plato to de Beauvoir, and discuss how they might shed light on contemporary issues about gender, sex, and sexual orientation. Course handout (PDF) will be provided. 


Instructor Sara Shute taught philosophy at Marietta College for most of her professional career, where she also initiated and then coordinated a gender studies program. Since moving to Maine, she has taught at several U Maine campuses, at Colby College, and at senior college. Her interest in gender issues intersects with her interests in rationality, and in philosophical pragmatism. She received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Washington University in 1977.

 

 

 

.


 

If you want to register and are not yet a member, Click here for New Member Signup

When:
Friday, January 20, 2023, 9:30 AM until Friday, February 24, 2023, 11:00 AM
Where:
on Zoom
Zoom link will be sent by email close to the start of the first class.

Additional Info:
Event Contact(s):
Sara Shute
Instructor
Category:
Winter 2023
Registration is required
Payment In Full In Advance Only
You must be an active CSC member to register for this course.
Cancellation Policy:
A member may cancel a course registration up to 3 days prior to the start of class and will receive a course credit that can be used for a future registration. No refunds will be given.
Capacity:
15
Available Slots:
7
$35.00