Historical Dictionary of Feminist Philosophy (Volume 64) (Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements Series, 64)

Although outsiders may sometimes think that philosophy is one of the less dynamic fields, solidly rooted in the thought of philosophers of earlier days, that is far from the case. Nothing proves this more emphatically than feminist philosophy, a sector which barely existed a few short decades ago and which is steadily growing. Unlike other sectors, it is in some ways narrower, focusing on the situation of women but not by any means restricted to women philosophers. R>r the moment, most of the activity is limited to North America and Europe, but the boundaries are gradually expanding. In other ways, it is much broader, having something to say about works of many of the canonical philosophers, sometimes approving, sometimes criticizing, and occasionally appropriating. By now feminist philosophy is busy contributing to virtually every other branch of philosophy, whether ethics, epistemology, logic, or language, and also to Marxism, environmentalism, and obviously feminism.Historical Dictionary of Feminist Philosophy covers a much longer span than merely the past few decades. Indeed, the chronology stretches back to those ancient Greek philosophers who dealt with the relevant issues tangentially, and on to modern philosophers for whom this is the primary concern. The dictionary entries therefore include Aristotle and Plato, and also Descartes and Kant, along with Wollstonecraft, Beau-voir, and Daly among the persons; care, ecofeminism, and racism among the topics; and dualism, femininity, and universalism among the concepts...

Having only emerged in the past few decades, Feminist Philosophy is rapidly developing its own thrust in areas of particular importance to feminism-and women more generally-while also reevaluating and reshaping most other fields of philosophy, from ethics to logic and Marxism to environmentalism. It draws not only on feminist philosophers but criticizes, approves, or appropriates the work of the leading philosophers of all times. The introduction to this reference work provides a useful overview of the subject area and the chronology runs the gamut from Ancient Greek philosophers to contemporary feminist ones. The cross-referenced dictionary entries cover both the central figures and ideas from the historical tradition of philosophy, as well as ideas and theories from contemporary feminist philosophy, such as epistemology (the philosophy of science) and topics that have been introduced by the feminist movement itself, like abortion and sexuality. In addition to including entries on Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, Kant, Wollstonecraft, Beauvoir, and Daly, relevant aspects of other fields of philosophy, the major concepts, and prevailing interpretations and conjectures are also covered. A comprehensive bibliography allows for further reading.

"The introduction of Historical Dictionary of Feminist Philosophy provides a useful overview of the subject, while the chronology runs the gamut from ancient Greek to contemporary feminist philosophers. Dictionary entries cover both the central figures and ideas from the historical tradition of philosophy, as well as ideas and theories from contemporary feminist philosophy, such as epistemology and topics like abortion and sexuality. In addition to including entries on Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, Kant, Wollstonecraft, Beauvoir, and Daly, relevant aspects of other fields of philosophy, the major concepts, and prevailing interpretations and conjectures are also covered. A comprehensive bibliography allows for further reading."--Jacket