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FEMINISM AS A VALUE FRAMEWORK
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FEMINISM AS A VALUE FRAMEWORKFeminism is not merely a "doctrine," or a set of assumptions designed to produce a particular dogma. It is more accurate to describe feminism (a rich philosophy with many sub-categories) as a "framework." Frameworks don't merely make observations about the world. Frameworks serve as guides to interpret the observations of others. Frameworks are like "criteria" in that they provide a filter with which to evaluate both human experience and philosophical interpretation. HOW FEMINISM FRAMES SOCIAL PROBLEMS Most philosophies that end with "ism" are systemic philosophies. They try to make sense of virtually all relevant data through their particular framework. This does not mean that such philosophies attempt to explain everything, but that they attempt to explain, and make sense of, all those phenomena that they deem to be their concern. Marxism, for example, does not attempt to explain why electrons are negatively charged, since such a fact has nothing to do with Marxism's concern that workers are exploited, or that the owners of capital and property tend to establish social hegemony. Crime, on the other hand, would be a Marxist concern because it can be explained by an appeal to existing economic and social relations. Similarly, feminists believe that social problems, especially those concerning oppression, are within the focus of systemic approaches to feminism. These social problems usually stem from the following manifestations of patriarchy: 1. Valuing aggression and competition over peace and cooperation. One of patriarchy's central principles is that problems and differences between people can best be solved by one party aggressively challenging, fighting, and beating, another party. Because of this tenant, feminists frame problems like war, domestic violence, and capitalism as manifestations of a culture of competition and violence created by men. 2. Acquisitiveness. Capitalism is not simply an economic system, but a value system embraced by people who believe the earth was essentially made for the use of those humans most ruthless in exploiting it. Another of patriarchy's major principles is that those who have enough power to acquire things should acquire what they want, regardless of the social costs. Because of this, feminists frame problems like environmental exploitation, poverty, and colonialism as manifestations of the male ethos of greed. 3. Power and hierarchy. Patriarchy thrives on the notion that people are not really equal. Leadership and submission are natural attributes of human existence. While "equality" may be possible under the law, all this really means is that there is some vaguely "level" playing field upon which people can compete for the top spots in society. Feminists believe that patriarchal obsession with "leadership," "credibility," politics, and force creates hierarchies which judge individuals based on their place in some male-created "scale." This means that patriarchal society is fundamentally and foundationally un-democratic, regardless of legal guarantees of rights. For Daly, the "foreground" of human existence is currently patriarchy. It is a set of beliefs and practices created by men, to justify the rule and dominance of men. Daly and Johnson both argue that, for centuries, we have known that communities of women do not practice the kinds of ethics glorified by patriarchy. Communities of women are not, they argue, competitive, acquisitive, or power hungry. The problem is that these communities that promote feminist values have been kept "underground" by patriarchy. Whenever women attempt to move these values into the "public" sphere, the realm we call "political," men do not allow this to happen. And on the other side, men bring their patriarchal values into the private world of women, enforcing their will through domestic abuse, rape, propaganda, dividing women from one another, and owning those things which are necessary for human existence. People have become so accustomed to the current system that they do not believe it can be changed. Even if they think change is desirable, they do not believe it is possible. Those who see it as possible do not always think it is desirable. This is due to patriarchy's control of virtually all ideological institutions. Men control religion, which reminds women that God is Male, and that the male in society is therefore closer to God than the female. Men control the media, which means that our daily indoctrination of news and education includes the glorification of competition and acquisitiveness. Finally, men control property, money, and the means of production, meaning that they have the material forces to back up their ideological notions. Images in the media, in education, and everyday life serve to reinforce the notion that nothing can be changed. WAR AND VIOLENCE VERSUS PEACEFor Mary Daly, violence and aggression mark patriarchy as the "foreground". That is, violence characterizes the main way of being in the patriarchal world. This violence destroys people's potential. Daly likens the war ideology of patriarchy to a religion where innocent people are sacrificed on the altar of war. In place of such violence, radical feminism offers a way of being that celebrates life. There are several reasons why a feminist ideology would be life affirming and peaceful. First, women experience a connection to life through their power of giving life. For a woman to nurture a child in the womb for nine months, and experience the pain and ecstasy of giving birth to that child, means that she will materially and spiritually experience the process of life itself. Second, Daly writes of a "pure lust," which is not a sexual or pornographic lust, but is a feeling of intimate connection to the rest of the world. Although both women and men are capable of feeling this "pure lust," most men do not, because they are more deeply influenced by patriarchy; and many women do not experience it, because through socialization, discouragement, and punishment, the patriarchy has driven them away from it. It seems obvious that a world that embraced life in every form would reject war. But why would violence necessarily also be rejected? For radical feminists, the coercion of violence is a corollary to war: It springs from an ethic, which assumes cooperation is unnatural and coercion almost inevitable. That ethic is patriarchy. Daly argues that verbal aggression is a prerequisite to physical aggression. She writes: This use of verbal violence to unleash and support inclinations toward physical violence is operative also in the highest echelons of the military machine. On this level, too, male demonic destructiveness is clearly linked to hatred and contempt for women and all that men consider to be female. (Mary Daly, GYN/ECOLOGY, 1978, p. 359) For Daly, "enemy" territory and the bodies of women are one and the same in the eyes of aggressive, warlike males. 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