Feminist Epistemology (Essay Sample)

Feminist Epistemology
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Institution of Affiliation
Feminist Epistemology
Epistemology is the study of knowledge and how it can be acquired. Epistemology is an area of philosophy, which studies the sources, nature, validation, and limitations of knowledge. Modern philosophers introduced epistemology during the 17th to 18th centuries at the time of the Enlightenment. Epistemology tries to explain how minds are related and determines if these relationships are valid or invalid (Travers, 2010). It explains how we think and plays a role in discerning truth from false. Epistemology is a key component of gaining knowledge of the world around us.
The term feminist epistemology means an outgrowth of feminist theorizing about gender and traditional epistemological concerns. Feminist epistemology is not a concrete organization of epistemology and it not of a particular theory. The uniqueness of Feminist epistemology reflects the distinctiveness of epistemology and uniqueness of theoretical positions that comprise gender studies feminist theory and women’s studies. Stress that is based on the epistemic salience of gender and how gender is utilized in the analytical class of criticisms, discussion, and reconstruction of norms, practices, and ideals is a distinct trait of feminist epistemologies.
Feminist relations with epistemology are characterized by themes, which are partially inclined towards the epistemologies’ view. These theories are also found in science studies, in the same way, they are in social epistemology. These thinkers are also unique when one considers the use of gender in a categorical form of epistemic reconstruction and analysis. The different approaches of feminist are based on classical setting, feminist science studies, cultural studies of science, naturalistic epistemologies, and related work in the social sciences, epistemic virtue theory, hermeneutics, postmodernism, pragmatism or phenomenology (Berger, 1988).
The feminist epistemology is comprised of different approaches, which include, the feminist empiricist, feminist postmodern, and feminist standpoint. According to the feminist empiricist, the classical ways of acquiring knowledge through the use of social sciences is still valid, but knowledge cannot be obtained as long as gender biases still exist (Travers, 2010). If objectivity is to be acquired, feminist empiricists advice that, women are the tools to undertake this task. Travers (2010), argues that a group of women or feminist have for long, been considered to have a high probability of giving unbiased results compared to a group of men or non-feminists.
Berger (1988) conducted research in the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, basing his hypothesis on the possible effect the pipeline posed on the North. In his research, Berger came up with concrete evidence of how different entities like the environment, hunting fishing, and the native economy were going to be affected by the pipeline. In addition, the pipeline also posed some effects to the community. The pipeline was also going to cause some major impacts like cost on welfare, crime, and violence, alcohol, and health services. When I take a close look at the results from the research, I would say that Berger does not give a balanced data as he does not consider or mention how the pipeline will affect the indigenous women in the North.
When I look at the population in the North, I find a considerable figure of both men and women, but in Berger’s research the larger percentage of those who gave their testimonial in the North appear to be males. I would, therefore, conclude that the research is bias since women are part of the population in the north, and their contribution is equally important as that of men. If maybe, there was a factor that affects women in the north it may be missed, because the number of women who were interviewed was low. Thus, women will suffer because of the biased conclusion of the scholar. Looking at the results, I thought that males were the only people who were going to be affected by the pipeline. I would personally say that if a woman were given the same conditions to do the same research, then there would have been a clear social impact that the pipeline will cause, considered both males and females who live in the North.
The female...