Good theory or just theory? Toward a Feminist Philosophy of Social Science

Thelma McCormack
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引用次数: 20

Abstract

How can we make a case for sex equality if history has been unjust and our method of empiricism ties us to history? Some feminists have argued that we cannot, and that we must, therefore, look to other methods. This paper examines the problem. First we examine the structure of value—oriented just—in the sense of social justice—theory. Feminist theory, we claim, is a subset of just theory with an additional criterion that it be consciousness-raising. Consciousness-raising here is defined as a conviction based on evidence that sexual equality is a viable option in human history. Two examples of just theory are examined: Myrdal's research on racial equality and peace research. A third method, simulation, is examined. Simulation offers the best possibility of transcending historical inequality without sacrificing the strength of the empirical tradition. In terms of the intellectual skills required, simulation is the most androgynous, and, thus, the method of the future.

好理论还是只是理论?走向社会科学的女性主义哲学
如果历史是不公正的,我们的经验主义方法把我们与历史联系在一起,我们怎么能为性别平等辩护呢?一些女权主义者认为,我们不能这样做,因此,我们必须寻求其他方法。本文探讨了这个问题。首先,我们考察了社会正义意义上的价值导向公正理论的结构。我们认为,女权主义理论是正义理论的一个子集,它还附加了一个标准,即提高意识。在这里,提高意识被定义为基于证据的信念,即性别平等是人类历史上可行的选择。本文考察了两个公正理论的例子:默达尔关于种族平等的研究和和平研究。第三种方法是模拟。模拟提供了在不牺牲经验传统的力量的情况下超越历史不平等的最佳可能性。就所需的智力技能而言,模拟是最雌雄同体的,因此也是未来的方法。
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