Papers by Lisa Schwartzman
Journal of Social Philosophy
Journal of Social Philosophy, 2012
Metaphilosophy, 2006
Feminists, critical race scholars, and other social-justice theorists sometimes object to ''abstr... more Feminists, critical race scholars, and other social-justice theorists sometimes object to ''abstraction'' in liberal normative theory. Arguing that oppression affects individual agents in powerful yet subtle ways, they contend that allegedly abstract theories often reinforce oppressive power structures. Here I critically examine and ultimately reject Onora O'Neill's ''abstraction without idealization'' as a solution to this problem. Because O'Neill defines abstraction as simply the ''bracketing of certain predicates,'' her methodology fails to guide decisions about what to bracket and what to include in the theory. Moreover, it may not be possible to abstract without also relying on some particular ideals. While abstraction is unavoidable, I conclude that it must be employed with greater attention to sociopolitical hierarchies and by using ideals that do not collude with structures of oppression. I discuss the work of Susan Babbitt and Elizabeth Anderson as examples of how nonoppressive ideals might be incorporated into normative theory.
Journal of Social Philosophy, 2002
Social Philosophy Today, 2005
In her recent book, Perfectionism and Contemporary Feminist Values, Kimberly Yuracko argues that ... more In her recent book, Perfectionism and Contemporary Feminist Values, Kimberly Yuracko argues that perfectionism is a promising theory for feminists, and she suggests that "what really motivates and drives feminists' arguments is not a neutral commitment to freedom or equality but a perfectionist commitment to a particular, albeit inchoate, vision of human fl ourishing." In my paper, I explore the connections between feminism, perfectionism, and critiques of liberal neutrality by focusing critical attention on Yuracko's arguments. After summarizing Yuracko's position, I contend that she wrongly portrays feminists as criticizing the "choices" of individual women, rather than attacking the structures of power in which these choices are situated. By misconstruing feminist arguments in this way, Yuracko suggests that feminists are endorsing a form of liberal neutrality, rather than offering a critique of such neutrality in favor of a more radical analysis.
Social Theory and Practice, 2002
Hypatia, 1999
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
Social Philosophy Today, 2008
Feminist philosophers have questioned whether liberal theory can account for the phenomenon of ad... more Feminist philosophers have questioned whether liberal theory can account for the phenomenon of adaptive preferences, specifi cally women's preferences that are formed under conditions of sexist oppression. In this paper, I examine the argument of one feminist who addresses the problem of women's "deformed desires" by relying on a liberal framework. Assessing her argument, I conclude that liberalism provides inadequate resources for responding to this issue since it errs in understanding adaptive preferences as exceptional, provides little explanation of how changes in individual preferences are motivated, and often fails to identify the adaptive nature of such preferences. I illustrate my arguments through a brief discussion of women's choices around motherhood and sexuality, and I conclude by offering several suggestions of how an alternative theory might better address the problems raised by preference adaptation in the context of oppression.
Social Philosophy Today, 2000
Recent debates in feminist ethical, and political philosophy highlight the way that liberal ideal... more Recent debates in feminist ethical, and political philosophy highlight the way that liberal ideals, concepts, and theories can be used in contradictory ways:
Book Reviews by Lisa Schwartzman
APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy, 2009
Teaching Philosophy, 2004
Teaching Philosophy, 2002
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Papers by Lisa Schwartzman
Book Reviews by Lisa Schwartzman