Stretching Situated Knowledge From Standpoint Epistemology to Cosmology and Back Again

Means of interpreting scientific prove through a feminist lens

Feminist philosophy of science is a branch of feminist philosophy that seeks to sympathize how the acquirement of knowledge through scientific means has been influenced past notions of gender and gender roles in society. Feminist philosophers of scientific discipline question how scientific enquiry and scientific knowledge itself may be influenced and maybe compromised by the social and professional framework inside which that research and cognition is established and exists. The intersection of gender and science allows feminist philosophers to reexamine fundamental questions and truths in the field of science to reveal any signs of gender biases.^[1] It has been described as beingness located "at the intersections of the philosophy of science and feminist science scholarship",^[ii] and has attracted considerable attention since the 1970s.

Feminist epistemology often emphasizes "situated knowledge"^[3] that hinges on i's individual perspectives on a bailiwick. Feminist philosophers often highlight the under-representation of female person scientists in academia and the possibility that scientific discipline currently has androcentric biases. Scientific theory has been accused of being more uniform with male person cognitive styles and reasoning. Feminist epistemology suggests that integrating feminine modes of thought and logic that are undervalued past electric current scientific theory will enable improvement and broadening of scientific perspectives. Advocates assert that it may be guide in creating a philosophy of science that is more attainable to public. Practitioners of feminist philosophy of science as well seek to promote gender equality in scientific fields and greater recognition of the achievements of female person scientists.

Critics accept argued that the political commitments of advocates of feminist philosophy of science is incompatible with modern-day scientific objectivity,^[4] emphasizing the success of the scientific method due to its lauded objectivity and "value-gratuitous"^[5] methods of noesis-making.

Women often weren't immune to work officially as scientists, only as administration for male scientists.

History [edit]

The feminist Philosophy of science was built-in out of feminist scientific discipline studies in the 1960s. It would however be the 1980s before Feminist Philosophy of Scientific discipline would develop its own unique identity. One of the starting time and most important publications released was from a women's academic journal called Signs with a piece titled: "Women, Science, and Society"^[6] This piece was published in Baronial 1978 by Catherine Stimpson and Joan Burstyn. "This start collection of what today would exist recognizable as "feminist scientific discipline studies" featured scholarship in three areas: critiques of gender bias in science, history of women in science, and social science data and public policy considerations on the status of women in the science".^[1] These iii topics accept remained prominent issues in feminist science studies of modern day.

Feminist science studies had go more philosophical and more aggressive past the 1980s and fifty-fifty pursued to redefine the core epistemological concepts. The reason for this shift in feminist science studies was due to a corresponding shift in many fields of academic feminism. This shift led to a parting of ways betwixt scholarship on "women in science" and "feminist critiques of science". This was documented by feminist scholars Helen Longino and Evelynn Hammonds in their 1990 volume Conflicts and Tensions in the Feminist Study of Gender and Scientific discipline.

By the late nineties, feminist science studies had go well-established and had many prominent scholars within its field of study. Philosopher John Searle characterized feminism in 1993 as a "cause to be advanced" more so than a "domain to be studied".^[vii]

Feminist philosophy of science [edit]

Objectivity and values [edit]

Some have questioned the objectivity of Feminist Philosophy of Science. Feminists notwithstanding argue that rather than undermine objectivity, incorporating feminist values could help create more robust and sophisticated enquiry methods which in turn may well produce better results.^[5] By implementing feminist ideologies in science, this will eliminate the androcentric bias in the field of science, creating ameliorate inquiry, improve healthcare, and more than opportunities for women in higher education and research fields.^[eight] Many feminist in this field endeavor to challenge the idea that science is "value-free",^[v] meaning that science is subjected to societal effects, and the research that is conducted is idea to have some bias attached. Science is not democratic and research requires funding which policy decisions come into play. This is where political and societal touch science making information technology adherent to a set of ideas.

Standpoint and knowledge [edit]

Feminist Philosophy of Scientific discipline has traditionally been highly critical of the lack of access and opportunities for women in science and believe science tin can, and has been "distorted by sexist values"^[five] Sharon Crasnow highlights how the "exclusion of women as researchers and subjects"^[5] in scientific research, studies and projects tin can atomic number 82 to incomplete methods and methodologies and ultimately unreliable or inaccurate results. Some feminist philosophies of science question whether science can lay claim to "impartiality, neutrality, autonomy, and indifference to political positions and the values" when the "neutral" position is benchmarked against the values held past one culture, i.e. western patriarchy, amid the multitude of cultures participating in modern science.

A complete Standpoint theory contains 7 parts to fully understand the location of power one has, their "epistemic privilege". Anderson lays these out in her journal Feminist Epistemology and Philosophy of Science.^[9] The get-go point of the theory must country the social location of the authorization. The 2d, how big is the grasp of this potency, what does information technology claim privilege over. Third, what aspect of the social location allows authority. Fourth, the grounds of the dominance, what justifies their privilege. Fifth, the type of epistemic privilege it is claiming to have. Sixth, the other perspectives similar to its ain. Lastly, access to this privilege, by occupying the social location is it sufficient to gain access to the perspective.

Relating to Objectivity, epistemology can give a fuller understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge. Feminist epistemology is one of a grouping of approaches in science studies that urges us to recognize the office of the social in the production of knowledge. Feminist epistemology directs people to consider features of themselves and civilisation equally beings of knowledge that had been outside what was considered appropriate. The goals of researchers and the values that shape the choice of goals are relevant to the knowledge we arrive at. This has implications both for how nosotros train scientists and for how nosotros brainwash everyone virtually science. If science is seen every bit more continued to application, more than related to man needs and desires, traditionally underrepresented groups will have greater motivation to succeed and persist in their scientific discipline courses or pursue scientific careers. Motivation volition be greater every bit members of underrepresented groups see how science can produce knowledge that has value to their concerns in ways that are consistent with practiced scientific methodology. Feminist epistemology urges a continued exploration of science in this mode and so has much to offering scientific discipline education.

Challenges and contributions [edit]

I of the major challenges facing feminist philosophers of science lies in convincing some skeptics in the fields of philosophy and science that Feminist Philosophy of Science is in fact a legitimate and objective field of academic research and study rather than an agenda driven ideology. Dr. Richardson points out that those who level this allegation at Feminist Philosophy of Science completely misunderstand its motivations and ambitions.^[1] Richardson describes how many feminist philosophers of science are involved in "ambitious effective projects to build a better science".^[1] Case studies have played a major role in furthering and advancing feminist philosophy of scientific discipline. For example, a study conducted by Lloyd in 2005 on the function female orgasm. She explores how evolutionary biologists fabricated simulated assumptions every bit to the role of the female orgasm.^[10] They believed that it must have reproductive purpose in females simply because it does in males. They went every bit far as to ignore articulate show as it went confronting their initial beliefs. This critique caused extensive debate as it attacked the cadre beliefs held by evolutionary biologists.^{[ citation needed ]} Work like this has and is currently beingness conducted by feminist philosophers of science equally they challenge traditional philosophical questions such as pluralism, objectivity and groundwork assumptions.

I of the greatest challenges faced past female philosophers is marginalization inside the bookish field of philosophy co-ordinate to Dr. Richardson.^[1] They face exclusion in scientific fields and are marginalized and vastly unrepresented similarly to minorities in the field of philosophy. Their critiques of many topics such as gender bias are often changed, distorted and ineffectively translated by scientists and therefore by the general public.

Elaine Howes has stated that the feminist philosophy of science can be practical to Yard-12 schooling. Per her test of the gender separation in Stem subjects, she believes that the feminist philosophy of scientific discipline should as well be applied to public schools. Past using feminist theories to examine gender biases in public schools, Howes suggests that possible reforms that could be implemented to close the gap in science, engineering, engineering, and math. Her belief is past starting from the bottom, many girls would enter a Stalk field and stick with information technology because of the reforms she suggested then create a alter in the field of scientific discipline from within.^[11]

[edit]

Socially responsible science is a combination of epistemic roles and social values. This conjuncture of research/evidence and ethics is used past Feminist of Philosophy for the creation of "good scientific discipline".^[12] In Matthew Brown'southward article "The Source and Status of Values for Socially Responsible Science", he discusses this lens of being socially engaged in science, to "craft better ethics codes for their professional societies", he believes this is done by emphasizing "ethics and social and political philosophy every bit least as much as epistemology and metaphysics". Past valuing the study of ethics, politics, and social studies and applying this socially responsible science, Browne believes this volition create a new agenda for scientific discipline.^[12]

See also [edit]

• Feminist technoscience

References [edit]

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Richardson, Sarah S. (2010). "Feminist philosophy of science: history, contributions, and challenges". Synthese. 177 (iii): 337–362. doi:10.1007/s11229-010-9791-6. ISSN 0039-7857.
2. ^ The Blackwell guide to the philosophy of scientific discipline. Machamer, Peter K., Silberstein, Michael. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell. 2002. ISBN978-0631221074. OCLC 50661258. {{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
3. ^ Kurki, Milja (2015). "Stretching Situated Noesis: From Standpoint Epistemology to Cosmology and Dorsum Again". Millennium: Periodical of International Studies. 43 (3): 779–797. doi:10.1177/0305829815583322. hdl:2160/41924.
4. ^ Crasnow, Sharon (2008). "Feminist philosophy of science: 'standpoint' and knowledge". Science & Education. 17 (x): 1089–1110. Bibcode:2008Sc&Ed..17.1089C. doi:x.1007/s11191-006-9069-z. ISSN 0926-7220.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} Crasnow, Sharon (2013). "Feminist Philosophy of Science: Values and Objectivity". Philosophy Compass. 8 (4): 413–423. doi:10.1111/phc3.12023. ISSN 1747-9991.
6. ^ Stimpson, Catharine R.; Burstyn, Joan N. (1978). "Editorial". Signs: Periodical of Women in Culture and Order. 4 (1): 1–3. doi:10.1086/493565. ISSN 0097-9740.
7. ^ Searle, John R. (1993). "Rationality and Realism, What Is at Stake?". Daedalus. 122 (iv): 55–83. JSTOR 20027199.
8. ^ Keller, Evelyn Fox (1982). "Feminism and science". Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. seven (3): 589–602. doi:ten.1086/493901.
9. ^ Anderson, Elizabeth (2000-08-09). "Feminist Epistemology and Philosophy of Scientific discipline".
10. ^ Lloyd, Elisabeth A. (2006). The case of the female orgasm : bias in the science of evolution. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN9780674022461.
11. ^ Howes, Elaine V. (2002). "Connecting girls and scientific discipline: Constructivism, feminism, and science education reform". Teachers College Printing.
12. ^ ^{a b} Chocolate-brown, Matthew J. (2013-03-01). "The source and status of values for socially responsible scientific discipline". Philosophical Studies. 163 (1): 67–76. doi:10.1007/s11098-012-0070-x. ISSN 1573-0883.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_philosophy_of_science

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