FEMINISM IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

FEMINISM IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT

Feminism is one of the philosophical concepts that has raised a lot of controversies in all human societies. It is a theory, ideology and a humanistic philosophy that incorporate men and women for the upliftment and development of the society. To this end, Simone De Beauvoir, a French existentialist philosopher, applied existentialists’ ideas to the situation of the contemporary women. For ages, the woman is seen as a second class citizen, the “other”, an object who is lost and is losing her way, as such, this has doomed her to immanence since her transcendence has been overshadowed and forever transcended by another ego. To her, a woman is a free and autonomous being like all human creatures who finds herself living in a world where men compel her to the status of the “other”. This work is therefore a critical analysis of feminism in the philosophy of Simone De Beauvoir using her Second Sex. With the analysis of feminism, some of the possible findings include that De Beauvoir’s feminism is misogynic, anti-naturalistic and confrontational. This thesis therefore concludes that her feminism is inauthentic, unnaturalistic and is opposed to African feminism.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Feminism is one of the philosophical concepts that have raised a lot of hackles among philosophers. “It is not a new phenomenon. It is as old as the human desire to be treated fairly and judged equally.”1 This concept therefore dates back to the very beginning of patriarchic domination. Simone De Beauvoir, a French existentialist Philosopher, in her book, The Second Sex, recognized the problems and oppression of women which she approached from the continental traditions of existentialism and phenomenology. “Her approach focused on the cultural mechanisms of the oppression that left women in the role of the “other”. Her examination encompassed Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, the evidence of the body, evidence of history and evidence of sociology and representative novelist.”2