Gender Thinking

400 Pages·1992·70.114 MB·English

by  Stephen Smith

Gender Thinl(ing
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Gender
Thinl(ing
STEVEN G. SMITH
Temple University Press
PHILADELPHIA
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To
Anne Simpson Lawton
(1892- 1988)
and
Elise Lawton lsleib
(1924-1992)
Temple University Press, Philadelphia 19122
Copyright © 1992 by Temple University. All rights reserved
Published 1992
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984 e;'
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Steven G.
Gender thinking / Steven G. Smith.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical rdcn:nces (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0-87722-963-5 (cloth : aile paper). - ISBN 0-87722-964-3
(paper: alk. PJper)
1. Sex role. 2. Phiiosophicli anthropology. 3. Race. 4. Ethics.
5. Mind and bod\,. I. Title.
HQ107S.SS8 1992
30S.3- dc20 91-47720
Photograph on p. 196 courtes\, of The Museum of Modern Art/Film Still
Archive.
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Humanity is something that must be overcome.
There are many ways of overcoming: see to that yourself!
But only a jester thinks: "Humanity can also be skipped over."
- Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra
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Contents
Preface
Xl
A Prologue on Democracy 1
1. The Two Sides of Gender Thinking 5
Positive gender thinking 6
Critical gender thinking 13
Implications for our study 19
2. On Conceiving the Human 23
The "hwnan" 24
"N ature" 28
Following nature 33
Gender as an anthropological theme 36
3. Gender and Humanity 41
The problem: how to behave 42
How gender qualifies hwnanity 43
How hwnanity qualifies gender 57
Gender and central human projects 60
Gender and other human kinds compared 64
Hwnan nature as an endowment of diversities 83
4. The Sex "Basis" of Gender 85
The problem of junction between intentional
and descriptive concepts 87
The structure of embodiment 91
Qualifications of intention by sex 96
Gender and biological facts 107
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VIII Contents
Human nature as animal nature: human biology
and anthropology 115
Human nature as animal nature: the Beast Within 120
The case of sexual jealousy 126
H LUTIan nature as sexual consistency: the racial paraHei 133
5. Gender, Valuation, and Selfhood 139
The attractions of gender and "finer feelings": Kant 141
The structure of valuing 145
A puzzle: How can a valuer value a different \vay of
valuing? 159
The gendering of ethics: Gilligan 167
Pornography and other pathologies of gender
valuation 175
Androgyny and perplexity 183
Gender character and "true self" 187
Gendered selfhood and the asymmetry problem in
High Noon 192
Human nature as a set of gendered metiers 203
6. Gender and Duality 205
The problem: how to think 206
Structures of duality 208
Metaphysical gender-duality theories: Hegel
and Levinas 220
Theological gender-duality theories: The Shakers
and Paul 224
Social-scientific gender-duality theories: Freud
and Levi-Strauss 229
Human nature as a harmonv of the sexes ~md genders 247
7. Gender and Procreation 254
The relevance of procreation to gender and
human nature 255
The structure of procreati\'e activit\' 260
Generationality, potentiation, and determination 272
Gender ;lI1d issues of procreari\'e choice 284
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Contents IX
Conclusion: Realizing Sex 303
Realized imaginatively 306
Realized intellectually 308
Realized spiritually 310
Realized practically 315
Notes 321
Index 375
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