Feminism, Religion and Practical Reason

Pamela Sue Anderson's A Feminist Philosophy of Religion (1998) and Grace Jantzen's Becoming Divine: Towards a Feminist Philosophy of Religion (1998) set the tone for subsequent feminist philosophies of religion. This Element builds upon the legacy of their investigations, revisiting and extending aspects of their work for a contemporary context struggling with the impact of 'post-truth' forms of politics. Reclaiming the power of collective action felt in religious community and the importance of the struggle for truth enables a changed perspective on the world, itself necessary to realise the feminist desire for more flourishing forms of life and relationship crucial to feminist philosophy of religion.

Recognition in Feminist Philosophy of Religion

G. W. F. Hegel’s idea of recognition has become one of the central concepts of social and political philosophy and social theory. In feminist philosophy of religion recognition has also a prominent role. One problem which troubles philosophical discussions of recognition is the lack of adequate communication between different research traditions. This article describes briefly the original source of inspiration of contemporary discussions of recognition, Hegel’s own idea of recognition as it is narratively depicted in his Phenomenology of Spirit. It also takes up Hegel’s problematic views of women and the sphere of the family. The text tries to show how the Hegelian ideas have inspired three prominent feminist philosophers of religion: Luce Irigaray, Grace M. Jantzen and Pamela Sue Anderson. These philosophers are connected to the two ways of reading Hegel: the (predominantly) French tradition and the Critical Theory. It is argued that while Irigaray and Jantzen present important criticisms of the prevailing religious attitudes, they are unable to combine this criticism with a feminist view that would allow religion to be taken seriously. In this respect, Anderson’s – still undeveloped – theory of recognition is a more promising attempt.

Feministische Religionsphilosophie - ein innovatives Projekt

Feminist Philosophy of Religion - an innovative ProjectThis essay seeks to launch a systematic basis for a feminist philosophy of religion. The critical thrust is explained with reference to latent sexism in a great part of the traditional philosophy of religion, with reference to Vatican documents, which are marked by perceptions and observations that have resulted in an attitude of discrimination against women. Furthermore, many theories in the field of feminist theology are flawed by argumentative deficiencies as well. These problem areas warrant a necessity to develop a new approach, which eliminates the reductionist views dominating the current debates, by means of a careful philosophical argument. The article is divided in three parts. It starts by a short exposition of the issues at stak, to explain the philosophical methodology and the concept of feminist philosophy constituting the basis of this essay. Reconstructing central differentiations of Kant's 'Critical Philosophy', it is demonstrated that Kant's most elaborate conception of the human being does provide a sound foundation for dealing with the pressing issues of our time. Thus core elements of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason are examined in light of the question, in which way a philosophical and theological discourse on God may be possible. What can feminist philosophy gain from Kant's moral philosophy as it seeks to discard unfounded or defective theories that result in discrimination against women? The third point leads through central arguments of Kant's philosophy of religion, mainly his theory of "Herzenskündiger”, and provides a survey of Kant's philosophical conception of 'church' (ethical commonwealth), contending that this sophisticated understanding is more in line with feminist concerns than some recent theories of an 'ecclesia of women'.