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Julia Annas on Plato & feminism

Julia Annas on Plato’s Republic  & Feminism

Julia Annas. "Plato’s Republic and Feminism." Plato 2: Ethics, Politics, Religion, and the Soul. Ed. Gail

Fine. NY: Oxford UP, 1999.

Has often been argued that Plato was the first

feminist in Western civilization. Will challenge this.

Why is Plato often regarded as a feminist?

Women should be able to have occupations

traditionally held by men

Nuclear family should be abolished

Education of women

1. Contrary to prevailing ideas & practices at the time,

Plato does say that women, if they have the abilities toperform traditional male occupations, should be allowed

to have those jobs. Isn’t this a feminist argument?

But Plato proposes that in all tasks, men are

superior to women (455d & 455e).

2. Plato has no concern about women’s desires or needs.

What reasons does Plato give for proposing

that women share traditional male jobs?

For the benefit of the state.

Is, for Plato, opening jobs to women a matter

of justice?

Is, for Plato, opening jobs to women a matter

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of rights?

Is it a matter of justice? (272)

Plato’s position is purely utilitarian.

This explains why Plato calls for

opening jobs to women while at the

same time holding that women have

inferior abilities to perform those

 jobs (274).

3. What about Plato’s call for the abolition of

the nuclear family? Isn’t this a feministposition?

Plato’s principal interest again:

usefulness to the state.

"Plato the feminist is a myth" (279).