AN EVALUATION OF EPISTEMIC TERMS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF FEMINIST EPISTEMOLOGY
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ABSTRACT
This work takes a critical look at the term “Feminist epistemology” as well as their evaluation of the “epistemic terms”
Feminist who are trying arguing that the quest for knowledge, which epistemology is centred on, should not be male oriented only, but that the female gender should be given an ear-say in the discus of knowledge.
The task of this project is to elucidate on the terms used in epistemology within the view-point of the feminist as opposed to the traditional epistemology. And how these terms have been able to help epistemological attempt to refute or answer the skeptical challenges that nothing can be known for certain.
Epistemic terms such as knowledge, justification, truth and falsehood, perception, subjectivism, objectivism, reason e.t.c
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
History of philosophy make scant mention of women philosophers prior to the twentieth century, For a long time it was assumed that this was due to lack of influential women philosophers. Scholars such as Mary Ellen Waithe suggested that women have been more important in the history of philosophy than is often mentioned1.
Before now, women have often been excluded from prestigious area of human activity (for example, politics or science), thereby making these activities seem clearly “male”. Such areas in this 21st century can be said to have been more embracing of the “women folk”, due to the feminist clamour for equality and opportunity to be heard, rather than been sidelined and seen as inferior to men.
Female or women issues have often been at the topmost at both local and international conferences, feminism can be opposed, rejected, criticized but it cannot be ignored like religion there seems to be some amount of passion, emotion and contradiction involved in its debate. Even those who are male centered (male chauvinist) have come to realize the absurdity of not recognizing the validity of the core questions surrounding the issues of feminism.
Feminist theory applied to epistemology has resulted in a wide variety of arguments and claims, but common to all of them is the idea that gender is an important (and historically neglected) consideration for the study, critique and reconstruction of epistemology. For feminist epistemologists, traditional western epistemology is endocentric and male-biased. It fails to take women’s experience and perspectives into account. Due to the existence of male domination, male norms have become dominant norms and been regarded as objective and universal standards for all. As such women’s was of thinking and knowing have been considered as something inferior and invalid2. Due to this fact of traditional Western epistemology been male-centered, feminist epistemologists have share the view that it is inadequate, as knowledge is meant to be seen in a pure, abstract, universal way, detached from gender, social class and other important differences.
Although, among feminist epistemologists there are disagreements on whether there are uniform women’s way of knowing in the global sphere, to what extent traditional Western epistemology is male-biased, and whether some ways of knowing are shared by both genders, but all feminist epistemology is gender-biased and that feminist criticisms of it will significantly contribute to the improvement of theories of knowledge3. As such for them, traditional epistemology is not a true representation of human unbiased epistemology.
It is to critically evaluate the above and their (feminist epistemologists) view on some of the epistemic terms that this project is being carried out and also to acknowledge the contributions of at least some women to the history of philosophy (epistemology).
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
The issues of feminism are always problematic and sensitive. These issues then becoming more problematic when transferred to the area of knowledge.
Looking at the problem of “power control”, where traditional epistemology has been predicated on the ideas of men, and women are gradually rising to question this inequality, which feminist epistemologists are accusing the traditional western epistemology of, because if this patriarchal nature continues, current epistemology will not be complete, but would have been guilty of male chauvinism, making it not a true representation of human knowledge. As such current epistemology is labeled as “Incomplete”. This problem will be considered in this work.
1.3 PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this study though legion, we shall be looking at two;
First, it is obvious that the fight for equality can sometimes be exaggerated; equality itself is an ambiguous term that should not be interpreted univocally or equivocally but analogically. Men have told a lot of lies of their suppose superiority, women are gradually trying to counter some of these lies with their own lies. As such the search for the truth about the relationship that ought to exist between male and female should constitute the core or essence of feminism.
Lastly, knowledge is central to human awareness. Humanity comprises of both male and female. As such human knowledge should not be male centric. The purpose of this study is therefore to construct knowledge in such a way that women are excluded.
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