Verified Document

Philosophical Canon And Feminism The Term Paper

These could include the aim of her studies, the programs she joins at college, her friends, and her romantic pursuits. The point is that the philosophy of love is explained by Plato in such a way as to make it accessible to men and women, college students, and feminists alike. The same principle holds true for the works of Thomas Aquinas, whose writings focused much on the nature of God and his interaction with human beings. Much of this of course is based within the principles of Christianity, and the anti-feminist notion of the submission of the woman to the man. Nonetheless, like Plato, there are many elements of this philosophy that concerns humanity in general rather than the genders in isolation.

In the first part of the Summa for example, Aquinas considers the nature of God, creation and the free will that humanity operates under. According to Aquinas, the power to know, like all other things, is given by God. The object of this will is then the universal good. This is reminiscent of Aristotle's philosophy of the pursuit of the "good" life. This ideal is expounded in the second part of the Summa. The end that is pursued should be the ultimate good, which is attained through a chain of acts. These acts are chosen by means of free will, which serves the principle of appropriate actions to reach the good end. The good is determined by means of human reason.

The way in which Aquinas pronounces the difference between good and evil as having its root in moral habit. This is also an idea reminiscent of Aristotle. The moral habit would then result in pursuing a good end rather than an evil one gladly. The moral habit in its turn is rooted in theological virtues imparted by God. The will and reason then work together to choose for rather than against the theological virtues. One of the virtues, which is reminiscent of Plato's writings, is abstinence from physical lust, of which women are the object. Women, according to Aquinas,...

This also is an act of reason and will.
It appears then, that although Aquinas appears to be focused on men when citing the divinely inspired virtues, he does acknowledge that women also have a choice that they can make by means of reason. Of course in the terms of the regular 21st century female college student this appears absurd. It must however be acknowledged that according to the standards of his day, Aquinas did acknowledge the existence and the power of women. He, like the other philosophers, did this according to the norms imposed upon him by his culture. Many of his theories however are applicable to common humanity rather than to men alone. His theories on free will and the ultimate good, as well as how these interact with divine nature for example can be used not only by Christians, but also by other religious thinkers in order to springboard their own ideas.

This is also applicable to the other philosophers of the canon, including Descartes, whose theories on the nature of humanity are certainly applicable to all of humanity rather than to men alone. Surely the concept of reason is culturally accepted to be the domain of men, while women are perceived to be more emotional. This is a paradigm that holds true to at least some extent even in modern society. When this is recognized it is easier to accept that many of the apparently sexist views in the canon, together with the fact that only male authors are featured, is culturally inspired rather than by the all-important concept of reason. It also needs to be recognized that there are some positive views of women represented in the canon, most notably those of Plato in the Symposium. In conclusion then, perhaps feminists should seek ways in which to supplement the canon with new, culturally accepted philosophies, rather than rewrite what already exists.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Marxism and Feminism Marxism Is a Theory
Words: 1549 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Marxism and Feminism Marxism is a theory of economic system while feminism is exclusively connected with relationship between men and women so how do these two could possibly unite. An interesting question- the answer to which lies in understanding the basic structure of Marxism on which feminism is loosely based. Alternatively, we can first understand what feminism is all about and see how it gets its inspiration from Marxism. Feminism is

Woman Who Has the Qualities
Words: 870 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

This meant that men held positions of power and authority in all the public spheres including economics/business, politics/the law, and the bearing of arms. Men also possessed social status that women did not have, enabling the perpetuation of a patriarchal society. By applying Freudian psychoanalysis and feminist theory, I will analyze the personality of the independent, strong, risk taker, and smart Alexandra Bergson in Willa Cather's O Pioneer! As Smith

Murkiness of Love Tenderness Can Lead How
Words: 702 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

murkiness of love tenderness can lead?" "How many times we will kill for love." "The rare thing herself felt in her breast a warmth that might be called love. She loved that sallow explorer. If she could have talked and had told him that she loved him, he would have been puffed up with vanity." All these settings represent different definition of "love." The Smallest Woman in the World provides

Vindication of the Rights of
Words: 12319 Length: 40 Document Type: Research Proposal

Ross (1988) notes the development of Romanticism in the late eighteenth century and indicates that it was essentially a masculine phenomenon: Romantic poetizing is not just what women cannot do because they are not expected to; it is also what some men do in order to reconfirm their capacity to influence the world in ways socio-historically determined as masculine. The categories of gender, both in their lives and in their

Define What Is Meant by Postpositivist Realism
Words: 1616 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Post positivism Defining Post positivism: definitional exercise in identity politics, in expanding cultural and semiotic discourse, and reinterpreting the continuing the literary effort of the 20th and 21st century to deconstruct human life and society Postmodernism, the literary buzzword of the past century, is often considered to be a 'liberal' form of hermeneutics, in the sense that rather than attempting to define what makes the canon great, it attempts to expand the

Academic Engagements With the Course Materials
Words: 4321 Length: 13 Document Type: Term Paper

Academic Engagements With Course Materials What are the major issues in Letty Russell's Introduction? In Letty M. Russell's Introduction to the series of theological essays in Liberating the Word , she expresses a need for a discussion of ways in which women and men can "liberate the word to speak the gospel in the midst of the oppressive situations of our time." Engaging in such a discussion, she writes, will provide "fresh insights"

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now