[Revised entry by Kathleen Lennon and Clara Fischer on April 11, 2024.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography]
For much of the history of western philosophy the body has been conceptualized as simply one biological object among others, part of a biological nature, which our rational faculties set us apart from, as well as an instrument to be directed, and a possible source of disruption to be controlled. Problematically, for feminists, the opposition between mind and body has also been correlated with an opposition between male and female, with the female regarded as enmeshed in her bodily existence in a way that makes attainment of…

Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More