Feminist Link Drop

Some of what informs my worldview

Catharine Mackinnon, one architect of academic feminist theory.

I recently reached 1,000 subscribers on Substack. I’m incredibly grateful, so I thought I would offer a little insight into some of the texts that have informed my feminist worldview over the years.

I’ve always believed feminism needs to reference a wide variety of academic sources - high quality philosophy, anthropology, sociology, history, sciences, and even literature, as well as the pioneering feminist texts. This is certainly a partial list of such sources, but it reflects much of what I’ve read and written about in recent months.

Classic Feminist Texts

The Dialectic of Sex, Shulamith Firestone

Feminism for the young woman and by a young woman. I read this in high school and while I acknowledge its flaws today, it is still unmatched in its passion and brilliance, weaving insights from Hegel and Marx into a larger feminist vision. Of all the 1970s era second wave feminists, Firestone is still the one closest to my heart. I believe, too, that her vision will be the one that persists into the future of feminism.

Right Wing Women, Andrea Dworkin

A recently re-popularized classic. Dworkin explores the psychology and reasoning of the conservative woman, examining in cutting detail the patriarchal bargain - the idea that conservative women trade their autonomy for the protection of a more powerful, hopefully benevolent man - and how this ended up failing those women, even as she acknowledges the left wing misogyny that drives so many women to it.

Sexuality, Pornography, and Method, Catharine Mackinnon

Mackinnon examines and dismisses the notion that sexuality is simply a biological drive distinct from gender and undetermined by social norms.

Evolutionary Biology

The Evolutionary Origins of Patriarchy, Barbara Smuts

I’ve always argued this is a great introductory text to feminism, bridging basic feminist insights with a larger scientific, evolutionary focus.

The Woman that Never Evolved, Sarah Hrdy

An astonishing book on primates and female primate behavior. Hrdy convincingly knocks down the argument that the female human mind evolved to be “naturally” passive, coy, self-sacrificing, and a little dull. If you’re already a convinced social constructivist, the book might seem a little unnecessary, but the descriptions of amazingly variegated female primate behaviors are still fascinating.

Anthropology

Manhood in the Making, David Gilmore

This much-misunderstood text argues that “manhood” is a near ubiquitous but ultimately socially constructed feature of societies around the globe. Gilmore is a great anthropologist, and his insights support a lot of social constructivist beliefs, although his angle is ultimately not a feminist one.

Misogyny: The Male Malady, David Gilmore

A fascinating compendium of sadly pervasive worldwide male misogyny and the many forms it takes. A great reference with some insights and speculation about male psychology, which I found interesting but ultimately unconvincing.

Neuroscience

Brain Storm: The Flaws in the Science of Sex Differences, Rebecca Jordan Young

Great book that convincingly critiques the “brain organization theory”, or the notion that fetal testosterone “organizes” the brain in such a way that creates psychological sex differences. A lot of its more subtle arguments have been ignored by “sex difference researchers” who assume that the correlation between testosterone and male-typical behavior must reflect causation.

The Gendered Brain, Gina Rippon

Similar to the above, this one critiquing the many “sex differences” hypotheses that have percolated up over the years.

Philosophy

Why Sex Work Isn’t Work, Lori Watson

A sharply argued piece on whether or not prostitution can be treated as a job like any other. Watson accepts the premises of the pro-sex-work argument and shows that even under this framework prostitution can’t be treated as just another day job. Relevant for a lot of topical debates on the subject of legalization vs decriminalization vs Nordic Model treatments of prostitution.

A Defense of Abortion, Judith Jarvis Thomson

The paper that kicked off the “autonomy based” defenses of women’s abortion rights. Numerous pro-life apologists have attempted to rebut it over the years, but none have managed to convincingly debunk it. For a modernized version that tackles those later pro-life rebuttals, check out David Boonin’s Beyond Roe.

Persons and Bodies, Lynne Rudder Baker

A great academic philosophical text on personhood; an excellent resource if you’re looking to understand why so many academic philosophers reject the pro-life belief that a person and a human organism are the same thing.

A Defense of Abortion, David Boonin

Probably the most important and thorough defense of abortion as an ethical practice. Boonin methodically examines all of the popular pro-life arguments and shows why they are found wanting. This was the inspiration for my first blog where I primarily focused on arguments for abortion rights.