The ontology of sex : a critical inquiry into the deconstruction and reconstruction of categories / Carrie Hull.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hull, Carrie.

Series:

Routledge studies in critical realism ; 12.

Routledge studies in critical realism ; 12

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sex--Philosophy.

Sex.

Poststructuralism.

Physical Description:

x, 185 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

London : Routledge, 2006.

Summary:

Poststructuralism, particularly through the writings of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, has achieved remarkable success in challenging our belief in natural sex categories and instincts. In "The Ontology of Sex," Carrie Hull endorses the progressive ideals of poststructuralism while demonstrating the superiority of a realist account of sex and sexuality. Embracing biological and cultural variability, Hull nonetheless shows that the sexed body is naturally structured and deeply meaningful.

Contents:

2 The quest for certainty 9

Greek rationalism 10

The Scientific Revolution 13

The rise and fall of positivism 17

3 Twentieth-century nominalism, relativism and behaviorism: Goodman, Quine, and Foucault 23

Nelson Goodman 23

W.V.O. Quine 28

Michel Foucault 37

4 Poststructuralist and constructivist feminism 54

Relativism by any other name 57

Nominalist feminism 63

Behaviorist agency 74

5 Contemporary realism's challenge to nominalism 83

Causal structures 84

Correlation and causation 97

Explaining exceptions 105

6 Structure and the evolution of sexual form and meaning 112

Phenomenal relations 113

The evolution of meaning 116

Sense and language 129.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0415359791

OCLC:

63693433