PHIL 2280 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Susan Moller Okin, Robert E. Goodin, Legal Personality

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 2280
• Professor: Omid Shabani

Document Summary

T(cid:396)aditio(cid:374)al vie(cid:449) a(cid:271)out wo(cid:373)a(cid:374)"s i(cid:374)fe(cid:396)io(cid:396)it(cid:455): (cid:449)o(cid:373)a(cid:374) ha(cid:448)e a(cid:374) i(cid:374)fe(cid:396)io(cid:396) (cid:374)atu(cid:396)e, o(cid:374)e that is less rational than men and lacks civil personality, hence they should be excluded from socio/political domain. This view has been the target of severe criticism during the last two centuries. This critique has led to anti-dis(cid:272)(cid:396)i(cid:373)i(cid:374)atio(cid:374) la(cid:449)s a(cid:374)d fo(cid:396)(cid:373)al (cid:396)e(cid:272)og(cid:374)itio(cid:374) of (cid:449)o(cid:373)a(cid:374)"s e(cid:395)ual (cid:449)o(cid:396)th. Despite the (cid:396)e(cid:272)og(cid:374)itio(cid:374) of (cid:449)o(cid:373)a(cid:374)"s e(cid:395)ual (cid:396)ights a(cid:374)d a(cid:374)ti-discrimination laws, sexual equality has not been achieved. Thus, the question becomes, why sex equality laws have been so ineffective. Oki(cid:374)"s (cid:449)o(cid:396)k is ai(cid:373)ed at a(cid:374)s(cid:449)e(cid:396)i(cid:374)g this (cid:395)uestio(cid:374). He a(cid:396)gues that t(cid:396)aditio(cid:374)al thi(cid:374)ki(cid:374)g has (cid:271)ee(cid:374) reproduced in liberal theories of justice. Looking at the inconspicuous public/private distinction in liberal theory, for example, she points out the four flaws: family environment is deemed to be immune to the dynamic of power, which is a feature of the political.