Ruth Abbey
Encyclopedia
Ruth Abbey is an Australian political philosopher with interests in contemporary political theory, history of political thought and feminist political thought.
She is a John Cardinal O'Hara, C.S.C. Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science of the University of Notre Dame
.
In her forthcoming publication, The Return of Feminist Liberalism, Abbey examines a number of contemporary feminists who, notwithstanding decades of feminist critique, are unwilling to give up on liberalism
. Her examination centres on the work of Martha Nussbaum
, the late Susan Moller Okin
(1946–2004) and the late Jean Hampton (1954–1996) all of whom situate themselves within the liberal tradition and outline well developed positions on the compatibility of feminism
and liberalism.
Abbey examines why, and in what ways, each of them believes that liberalism contains the normative and political resources for the continuing improvement of women's situations. She asks whether they are cognizant of, and can reply to, the major criticisms of liberalism mounted by many feminists. Abbey also brings out and tries to explain and evaluate the differences among these three feminist-liberals, despite their shared allegiance to this tradition. Okin, Nussbaum and Hampton do not, however, represent a minority of three in their faith in liberalism, so in addition Abbey surveys the arguments made by other contemporary feminists who see some ongoing value in liberalism, eliciting both the promise they see for women in some of liberalism’s ideas as well as demonstrating how liberalism itself can be made more robust by attending to women’s concerns.
Nietzsche
At the core of Abbey’s writings about Nietzsche is a study of his middle period works, Human, All Too Human
, Daybreak
, and The Gay Science
. Her analysis provides insights on Nietzsche’s morality
touching on issues such as friendship
, gender
, marriage
, egoism
, pity
and politics
. One reviewer, writing in The Review of Metaphysics, called Nietzsche’s Middle Period a "well researched...synopsis of Nietzsche's works from 1878 to 1882," the aim of which "is to defend the distinctiveness, as well as the 'superior worth', of this neglected phase of Nietzsche’s development..."
Since 2003 she has managed an extensive online resource, supported by the University of Kent
and the British Academy
, for the works by and about Charles Taylor
.
She is a John Cardinal O'Hara, C.S.C. Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science of the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
.
Work
Feminist LiberalismIn her forthcoming publication, The Return of Feminist Liberalism, Abbey examines a number of contemporary feminists who, notwithstanding decades of feminist critique, are unwilling to give up on liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. Her examination centres on the work of Martha Nussbaum
Martha Nussbaum
Martha Nussbaum , is an American philosopher with a particular interest in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, political philosophy and ethics....
, the late Susan Moller Okin
Susan Moller Okin
Susan Moller Okin was a liberal feminist political philosopher and author.- Works :In 1979 she published Women in Western Political Thought, in which she details the history of the perceptions of women in western political philosophy.Her 1989 book Justice, Gender, and the Family is a critique of...
(1946–2004) and the late Jean Hampton (1954–1996) all of whom situate themselves within the liberal tradition and outline well developed positions on the compatibility of feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
and liberalism.
Abbey examines why, and in what ways, each of them believes that liberalism contains the normative and political resources for the continuing improvement of women's situations. She asks whether they are cognizant of, and can reply to, the major criticisms of liberalism mounted by many feminists. Abbey also brings out and tries to explain and evaluate the differences among these three feminist-liberals, despite their shared allegiance to this tradition. Okin, Nussbaum and Hampton do not, however, represent a minority of three in their faith in liberalism, so in addition Abbey surveys the arguments made by other contemporary feminists who see some ongoing value in liberalism, eliciting both the promise they see for women in some of liberalism’s ideas as well as demonstrating how liberalism itself can be made more robust by attending to women’s concerns.
Nietzsche
At the core of Abbey’s writings about Nietzsche is a study of his middle period works, Human, All Too Human
Human, All Too Human
Human, All Too Human , subtitled A Book for Free Spirits , is a book by 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, originally published in 1878...
, Daybreak
The Dawn (book)
The Dawn is a book written by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in 1881 ....
, and The Gay Science
The Gay Science
The Gay Science is a book written by Friedrich Nietzsche, first published in 1882 and followed by a second edition, which was published after the completion of Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Beyond Good and Evil, in 1887. This substantial expansion includes a fifth book and an appendix of songs...
. Her analysis provides insights on Nietzsche’s morality
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
touching on issues such as friendship
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
, gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, egoism
Egotism
Egotism is "characterized by an exaggerated estimate of one's intellect, ability, importance, appearance, wit, or other valued personal characteristics" – the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself....
, pity
Pity
Pity originally means feeling for others, particularly feelings of sadness or sorrow, and was once used in a comparable sense to the more modern words "sympathy" and "empathy"...
and politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
. One reviewer, writing in The Review of Metaphysics, called Nietzsche’s Middle Period a "well researched...synopsis of Nietzsche's works from 1878 to 1882," the aim of which "is to defend the distinctiveness, as well as the 'superior worth', of this neglected phase of Nietzsche’s development..."
Since 2003 she has managed an extensive online resource, supported by the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
and the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, for the works by and about Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor (philosopher)
Charles Margrave Taylor, is a Canadian philosopher from Montreal, Quebec best known for his contributions in political philosophy, the philosophy of social science, and in the history of philosophy. His contributions to these fields have earned him both the prestigious Kyoto Prize and the...
.
Books
- Nietzsche’s Middle Period (Oxford University Press, 2000).
- Charles Taylor (Princeton University Press and Acumen Press, UK, 2000).
- ed., Contemporary Philosophy in Focus: Charles Taylor (Cambridge University Press, 2004).
Articles
- “Rawlsian Resources for Animal Ethics” Ethics and the Environment Vol. 12, No. 1, Spring 2007.
- “Back Toward a Comprehensive Liberalism? Justice as Fairness, Gender and Families” Political Theory 2007.
- “Turning or Spinning? Charles Taylor’s Catholicism” Contemporary Political Theory Vol. 5, No.2, May 2006.
- “Is Liberalism Now an Essentially Contested Concept?” New Political Science Vol. 27, No. 4, December 2005.
- “Recognizing Taylor Rightly: A Reply to Morag Patrick” Ethnicities 3 (1), March, 2003,pp. 115–131.
- “Pluralism in Practice: The Political Thought of Charles Taylor” Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy Vol. 5, No. 3 (Autumn 2002).
- “The Articulated Life: An Interview with Charles Taylor” Reason in Practice Vol. 1, No.3, 2001.
- “The Chief Inducement? The Idea of Marriage as Friendship” co-authored with Douglas Den Uyl, Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 18, No. 1, 2001.
- “The Roots of Ressentiment: Nietzsche on Vanity” New Nietzsche Studies Vol. 3, nos. 3& 4, Summer/Fall, 1999.
- “Back to the Future: Marriage as Friendship in the thought of Mary Wollstonecraft” Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy 14, 3, Summer 1999.
- “Mediocrity versus Meritocracy: Nietzsche’s (Mis)reading of Chamfort: History of Political Thought Volume XIX, No. 3, Autumn 1998.
- “Nietzsche and the Will to Politics.” co-authored with Fredrick Appel Review of Politics Winter 1998 (January, Vol. 60:1).
Honors and awards
- Leverhume Research Fellowship from the Leverhulme TrustLeverhulme TrustThe Leverhulme Trust was established in 1925 under the will of the First Viscount Leverhulme, William Hesketh Lever, with the instruction that its resources should be used to support "scholarships for the purposes of research and education."...
(2004) - Faculty Fellow (2008–2009), Center for Ethics and Public Affairs, The Murphy Institute
External links
- Personal webpage, Notre Dame University, including Curriculum Vitae