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De Beauvoir

De Beauvoir. I. de Beauvoir’s version of Ethical Creativity II. Problem for de Beauvoir: Location of Justice. II. Simone de Beauvoir and Ethical Creativity. Is more consistent than Wilson, Pinker, et al.

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De Beauvoir

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  1. De Beauvoir • I. de Beauvoir’s version of Ethical Creativity • II. Problem for de Beauvoir: Location of Justice

  2. II. Simone de Beauvoir and Ethical Creativity • Is more consistent than Wilson, Pinker, et al. • She clearly affirms the freedom of ethical creativity, but she does so by embracing a radical sort of nature/culture dualism. • Ethical choice transcends the biological and the physical.

  3. Metaphysical Discontinuity • Based on a metaphysical theory, in which human consciousness represents something radically new, a complete discontinuity. • Jean-Paul Sartre: dualism of physicality and consciousness, Being and Nothingness.

  4. Consequences • We can divide the world into two domains: that of immanence (nature), and that of transcendence (freedom). • For example: femininity and masculinity in human life are a social construction (transcendent), having only a contingent relationship to biological categories of sex (immanent).

  5. Transcendence of Nature • de Beauvoir's goal: an androgynous society. • She freely admits that this has no basis in biology.

  6. Is the freedom of ethical creativity a coherent idea? • In classical tradition, not even God has this freedom. • 14th. C. philosopher Duns Scotus is first to attribute it to God. Followed by William Occam. • Rousseau -- transfers it to human beings.

  7. An Aristotelian objection: 1. All decisions depend on a pre-existing scale of values. We always decide for the better. 2. FEC means that all values are created by a prior human decision. This leads to an infinite regress.

  8. Criterionless Choice • Defender of FEC must believe in the possibility of an absolute, criterionless choice. • A choice of what I shall be, what I shall seek, that depends on no prior conception of value. (e.g., "I choose androgyny, not because it is good, but as a fundamental, ungrounded value")

  9. Aristotelian Response • Aristotle: this is impossible. The human will is not built this way. • Some kind of self-deception must be involved in any attempt to do so.

  10. II. de Beauvoir and the Problem of Justice • de Beauvoir clearly affirms that sexual inequality is unjust. • Where do we locate justice: in the realm of the immanent or the transcendent? • de Beauvoir seems to face an insoluble dilemma.

  11. The Dilemma of Justice • If de B. locates justice in the realm of the immanent, then it is something which we humans can freely transcend -- if we do not do so, we are guilty of bad faith. • If de B. locates justice in the realm of the transcendent, then it must be the product of an individual, criterionless choice. No room for universal judgments.

  12. If justice is transcendent, then de B. cannot consistently condemn the standards of patriarchal society as inherently unjust. • At most, she can claim that she chooses (without reason) to regard it as unjust. • If others choose to regard patriarchy as just, then for them, it is just.

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