Epistemology and Feminism

Epistemology and Feminism

What are the differences and similarities between Pragmatism and Feminist epistemology? I think pragmatist and feminist agree that we all gain our beliefs from our experiences. It seems as though it is also agreed that there are no strict, absolute set of ideas out there waiting for us to find them .Beyond this feminists argue about their role in history or lack thereof and how gender plays a vital role in society. Pragmatist state that we need to be in the knowing, and that our actions lead our lives and only those actions that prove themselves to be useful in the long run can be considered true.

Pragmatism is where our relationship between our thoughts and actions define our beginning. In this pragmatist principle our actions are directed by our beliefs. Our beliefs are directed by our experiences and society in an increasingly shifting world. Therefore our beliefs too must shift with our world. Once we thought the sun revolved around the earth and our society believed it. With new data we found that the earth revolves around the sun and culture had to alter their view with this new data and make it part of their beliefs. The same goes for other beliefs. Pragmatists see that not any of our beliefs are impervious to needing to be amended in some future date. This revision need not have a negative impact on us. Pragmatists don't see there being some set of beliefs out there, which we are searching for. Then we can rest assured these are the true eternal beliefs. They find that we have beliefs that work for us today and continue to search for beliefs that are better than the ones we currently believe.

In their theory of truth pragmatist apply much of the same principal. James believed "something leads to successful actions in the long run then it is said to be true. (pg 159)" If we find when we are children our dad says its okay to take the change from his end table and this leads to successful results , then our belief is that we are allowed to take things that are not our own. We then grow up and find that taking things that are not our own is considered theft then we see that this will no longer lead to successful results. James wanted to show us that if something works and we see that it will do so in the long run than it can be considered true.

Feminism is "emphasizes the role of gender in shaping how we think and how society is structured. Focuses on the historical and social forces that have excluded women form full participation in the intellectual and political realms and strives to produce a society that recognizes women and men as both different and equal. (pg168) It is true that women have been excluded from any historical philosophy as revealed in the lack of presence from any women philosophers being referred to before the 20th century. As history also express to us that women have also been excluded from participating in the intellectual and political realms such as there are no women presidents. We all know women are different from men in the way we act and communicate and of course our physical features.

Feminism strives to show society that we are equal and different and that is what makes our world function. In the world today women are thought of as the homemakers, they tend to the house and the children and that is what they are best at; so society says. The men are the bread winners they supply the home and everything in it and status quo. The view from nowhere is where we can look at things without bias based upon our past experience. Feminist say that this view can't be obtained by women and therefore they can never know. How can we know things without our experience creeping in to supply a theory? Gender is