Philosophy, Feminism, and Faith

313 Pages·2002·1.01 MB·English

PHILOSOPHY, FEMINISM,
AND FAITH
Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion
Merold Westphal, general editor
Philosophy,
Feminism,
and Faith
(cid:2)
 
RUTH E. GROENHOUT

MARYA BOWER
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 .-.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Philosophy, feminism, and faith / edited by Ruth E. Groenhout and
Marya Bower.
p. cm. — (Indiana series in the philosophy ofreligion)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-253-34177-9 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-253-21561-7
(pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Women and religion. 2. Feminism—Religious aspects. 3. Feminist
theory. I. Groenhout, Ruth E., date II. Bower, Marya, date III. Series.
BL458 .P48 2003
200'.82—dc21
2002011674
1 2 3 4 5 08 07 06 05 04 03
CONTENTS
 ⁄ vii
 ⁄ 1
Part I. Setting the Context
1. Judaism and the Love of Reason
 .  9
2. Feminism, Socialism, and Christianity Revisited
 .  40
3. “Philosophizing on Saturday”: Faith and the Philosophical Life
    60
4. Three Aspects of Identity
.    76
5. Reflections on Identity
   88
Part II. Tensions and Integrations
6. Yes
  105
7. Into the Crucible: My Art of Living
  120
8. Learning to Question
   140
9. I Can’t Say No: Self-Sacrifice and an Ethics of Care
 .  152
10. Seduction: Does How You Get to “Yes” Still Matter?
 .  175
vi | Contents
11. Living within Tradition
   190
12. Hagar on My Mind
 . - 198
Part III. Challenging Traditions
13. A Skeptical Spirituality
  213
14. Faith, Philosophy, Passions, and Feminism: Dangerous Attractions
  227
15. On Being a Christian Philosopher and Not a Feminist
.   243
16. Toward a Visionary Politics:
Phenomenology, Psychoanalytic Feminism, and Transcendence
 - 260
17. My Life Speaks
  282
 ⁄ 
 ⁄ 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The editors would like to acknowledge the assistance, support, and encour-
agement provided during the process of developing this manuscript. All the
contributors are due special thanks for their patience and willingness to see
the project through to completion. Special thanks to Merold Westphal for
encouraging us to pursue the project, to Martha Nussbaum for supporting
our efforts from the beginning of the project, and to the editors at Indiana
University Press, Dee Mortensen and Jane Lyle, who provided guidance, en-
couragement, and assistance along the way.

PHILOSOPHY, FEMINISM,
AND FAITH