Feminist Morality: Transforming Culture, Society, and Politics

Women in Culture and Society

by Virginia Held

How is feminism changing the way women and men think, feel, and act? Virginia Held explores how feminist theory is changing contemporary views of moral choice. She proposes a comprehensive philosophy of feminist ethics, arguing persuasively for reconceptualizations of the self; of relations between the self and others; and of images of birth and death, nurturing and violence. Held shows how social, political, and cultural institutions have traditionally been founded upon masculine ideals of morality. She then identifies a distinct feminist morality that moves beyond culturally embedded notions about motherhood and female emotionality. Examining the effects of this alternative moral and ethical system on changing social values, Held discusses its far-reaching implications for altering standards of freedom, democracy, equality, and personal development. Ultimately, she concludes, the culture of feminism could provide a fresh perspective on—even solutions to—contemporary social problems.

Feminist Morality makes a vital contribution to the ongoing debate in feminist theory on the importance of motherhood. For philosophers and other readers outside feminist theory, it offers a feminist moral and social critique in clear and accessible terms.

Genres: Philosophy, Feminism, Nonfiction

293 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Virginia Potter Held (born October 28, 1929) is a leading moral, social/political and feminist philosopher whose work on the ethics of care sparked significant research into the ethical dimensions of providing care for others and critiques of the traditional roles of women in society. Held defends care ethics as a distinct moral framework from Kantian, utilitarian and virtue ethics. Held's work on the morality of political violence viewed through the window of ethics of care has also been significantly influential.

Held was named Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York – Graduate Center and Hunter College in 1996, received her Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University in 1968 and worked at Hunter College as lecturer (1965–69), assistant professor (1969–72), associate professor (1973–77) and full professor from 1977 to her retirement in 2001. She was affiliated with the CUNY Graduate Center in 1973, and served as deputy executive officer of the Philosophy program at the CUNY Graduate Center from 1980–1984. She also served as president of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in 2001–2002.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Quin Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dated, although not exactly outdated.

Clearly much has changed since Held wrote this book. Her arguments would have benefited from increased engagement with intersectional/WOC feminism on the one hand and Marxist feminism on the other. Her appeals to biology are also quite annoying.

That said, it is strangely refreshing to read a feminist theory text that unapologetically takes questions of moral transformation, children’s wellbeing, and human interdependence seriously. The whole strand of care ethical feminist thought seems to have been lost in recent years. We could benefit from a return to some of the key areas of concern this book addresses, albeit on more intersectional, trans/queer inclusive, and anti-capitalist grounds.