Philosophy, Feminism, and Faith

"The stories are powerful, sometimes heart-rending, sometimes lyrical, but always deeply personal. And there is some very good philosophizing as part of the bargain." --Merold Westphal

How can the seemingly separate lives of philosopher, feminist, and follower of a religious tradition come together in one person's life? How does religious commitment affect philosophy or feminism? How does feminism play out in religious or philosophical commitment? Wrestling with answers to these questions, women who balance philosophy, feminism, and faith write about their lives. The voices gathered here from several different traditions--Catholic, Protestant, Quaker, Jewish, and Muslim--represent diverse ethnicities, races, and ages. The challenging and poignant reflections in Philosophy, Feminism, and Faith show how critical thought can successfully mesh with religious faith and social responsibility.

Ruth E. Groenhout teaches in the Department of Philosophy at Calvin College.

Marya Bower is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Earlham College.

Preliminary Table of Contents:

Introduction

Part 1. Setting the Context

1. Judaism and the Love of Reason Martha Nussbaum

2. Feminism, Socialism, and Christianity Revisited Mary B. Mahowald

3. Philosophizing on Saturday: Faith and the Philosophical Life Winifred Wing Han Lamb

4. A Struggle in Progress Jaime Leeser

5. Three Aspects of Identity Sr. Mary Christine Morkovsky

6. Reflections on Identity Jean Bethke Elshtain

Part 2. Tensions and Integrations

7. Yes Marianne Sawicki

8. Into the Crucible: My Art of Living Jacqueline Scott

9. Learning to Question Pat Johnson

10. Shared Marginalization: Negotiating the Identities of Christian, Feminist, and Philosopher Janet Wesselius

11. Care, Agape, and a Feminist Conception of the Self Ruth Groenhout

12. Seduction: Does How You Get to Yes Still Matter? Caroline Simon

13. The Presence of the Past laura Duhan Kaplan

14. Hagar on My Mind Azizah al-Hibri

Part 3. Challenging Traditions

15. A Skeptical Spirituality Nel Noddings

16. Faith, Philosophy, Passions, and Feminism: Dangerous Attractions Irmgard Scherer

17. On Being a Christian Philosopher and Not a Feminist M. Elaine Botha

18. Towards a Visionary Politics: Phenomenology, Psychoanalytic Feminism, and Transcendence Marilyn Nissim-Sabat

19. My Life Speaks Sara Ebenreck

Contributors

Index