PHIL332 Existentialism
S imone de Beauvoir and
The Second Sex
Stephen Arkley
For PHIL332 ( Existentialism ), STEPHEN ARKLEY bridges the gap between the philosophy of gender and the ethical philosophiy of the most prescient thinker , Simone de Beauvoir . Well involved in our University ’ s Philosophy Society and reading groups , Stephen will continue to broaden his critical mind during his fourth year with Liverpool , on the XJTLU campus in Suzhou , China .
IN this essay I will critically consider Simone de Beauvoir ’ s statement that “ One is not born , but rather becomes a woman ”. ( De Beauvoir , 1949 ) In order to do
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this , I will briefly sketch out how De Beauvoir ’ s views on gender relate to her existentialism . I will then attempt to bridge her ethics to her views on gender through her focus on “ oppression ” and “ moral freedom ”. Focusing on her view of the “ body as situation ” I will then provide a counter to two common criticisms of De Beauvoir ’ s work : first , that she argues for a privileging of the masculine world of transcendence and second , that she fails to consider different accounts of “ becoming a woman ”. I will conclude by arguing that it is precisely because De Beauvoir rejects essential categories of female identity that she is able