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person1990s-present

Sally Haslanger

Disciplines:
feminist philosophy
metaphysics
philosophy/social philosophy

Summary

American philosopher who has developed an ameliorative approach to social ontology — analyzing what race and gender should mean to advance justice — and contributed to critical metaphysics.

Core Contribution

Resisting Reality: ameliorative analysis of race and gender — we should not seek the 'true' meaning of these terms but ask what concept serves our political and social purposes best. Gender is a social position defined by structural relations to hierarchical power; race is a social position marked by perceived ancestry. Structure, agency, and narrative in social explanation.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • Ameliorative analysis: instead of asking what gender and race really are (conceptual analysis) or how people use the terms (descriptive analysis), ask what concept of these categories would best serve the goal of eliminating oppression. This is a political intervention masquerading as definition.
  • Her account makes gender a social position rather than an inner identity — women are those who occupy a subordinate social position defined by their social treatment as reproducers. This clashes with some trans-inclusive gender theories.

Notable Works & Achievements

Resisting Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique

Historical Influences

Karen Jones Catharine MacKinnon

Intellectual Lineage

Analytic Feminist Philosophy

Contemporaries & Peers

Jennifer SaulElizabeth Barnes

Minds Influenced

Social Ontology Feminist Philosophy

Intellectual Posterity

Social Ontology Ameliorative Analysis

Discussing

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