Traditionally, the project of theorizing about knowledge (including concepts such as justification, belief formation, and rationality) assumes that such an enterprise is possible even if one ignores the context and situation of the knower: Philosophers can theorize about, say, belief formation, even if we ignore who is forming the belief--that is, we can ignore their educational, socio-economic background, gender, ethnicity, race, and disability status. Feminist epistemologists question this assumption: They think the context and situation of the knower is relevant for knowledge acquisition and generation. In this course, we will specifically focus on scientific knowledge, since science is typically assumed to be 'pure' and 'isolated' from socio-political and cultural influences. Some questions we will address include the following: Is the notion of scientific objectivity gendered? Is rationality gendered? In what ways can the process of scientific theorizing be more equitable? Do the ideals and standards of science themselves need to change? This course will study the work of Linda Alcoff, Elizabeth Anderson, Sandra Harding, bell hooks, Helen Longino, Maria Lugonés, Alison Wylie, and more. |