An Ethics of Sexual Difference (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Translator), Fill Gillian (Translator) "Sexual difference is one of the major philosophical issues, if not the issue, of our age..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Alphonso Lingis, Jacques Lacan (more...)

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Product Description

This volume continues and completes Irigaray's writing on "sexual difference" by addressing the ethical implications of her work. Irigaray speaks out against the egalitarian project of feminism important to the Anglo-American school of women thinkers; instead she pursues questions of sexual difference, arguing that all thought and language is gendered and that there can therefore be no neutral thought - philosophy, science or psychoanalysis. Counterposing classical philosophical texts - including those of Plato, Spinoza and Levinas - with a series of meditations on the female experience, she shows that traditional philosophical concepts are problematic. She advocates new philosophies grounded in women's experience, through which women can develop a distinctly female space and a "love of self". Only then can love become ethical and the basis of a transformed ethics of sexual difference. This volume provides a major contribution to an expanding feminist and philosophical discourse and should be of value to feminists, literary critics and philosophers. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (August 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801481457
• ISBN-13: 978-0801481451
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #300,265 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic of continental thinking., December 1, 1999

By	Craig G Cram (St. John's, Newfoundland Canada) - See all my reviews

Irigaray's `rewriting' of philosophy and philosophers is essential reading for anyone interested in philosophy these days. It is also a refreshing breath of thought on `Feminism'. The concept of `Place'is presented as Woman, a return to the primordial feminine via `deconstruction' (in the best possible way) of western patriarchial hegemony. Besides the radical content, it is is beautifully written - clear and profound. Read this book!