WHAT MAKES WOMAN WOMAN Maybelle Marie O. Padua Far Eastern University, Manila, Philippines mpmaybellepadua@gmail.

com Abstract This essay defends the position that oman has a feminine distinctive nature. !ith Edith "tein#s philosophical notion of $ oman%, e come to understand that oman#s nature as biological mother ma&es her intrinsically different from man. !oman has a capacity for motherhood that affects her hole being and distinguishes her from man ith t o essential characteristics' attraction to the personal and attraction to holeness. Through emotions, oman grasps the relationship of another being to herself. This leads us to thin& about oman#s emotional life as an important hallmar& of feminine nature. The Battle for Gender Identity The issue of patriarchy as a dominant form of societal order can be traced bac& to pre( "ocratic times. To understand the reasons for the philosophical notions that claim man that man as a $being in act% and Generation of Animals, he subordination of oman#s inferior position in society, ) e*amined oman. +ristotle, for one, asserted For him, the This as superior to

oman, $a being in potency%. , )n his boo& On the ere is a mutilated male%. .

rote, -the female as it

oman is presumed to be a given, e/uated to a natural condition.

misogynist construction of +ristotle virtually echoed for nearly t o thousand years. For instance, centuries after +ristotle, the founding fathers of the +merican 0epublic, even they recogni1ed the 2egro#s moral status as a person in the +merican 3onstitution, regarded omen#s status, as a matter that "tein, as not to be considered as an issue for debate )n 4ermany, at the time of Edith ere seen by la as minors and placed in the same class as children and the orld, up around till the ,567s, omen had no omen

mentally retarded. )n most parts of the civili1ed right to vote,

ere deprived of education, and had restricted access to resources, 8obs, and self( rongs. Thus, they felt the need to 8oin ith other

support. Feminist consciousness emerged hen omen became a are that they ere considered a subordinate group and that they suffered omen to remedy these
,

rongs. 3ongregating in groups to provide an alternate vision of

+ristotle, On the Generation of Animals 9&. ,, :.5b,; and )<(., :66 b(== in >ietrich von ?ildebrand, Man and !oman @Manchester, 2e ?ampshire' "ophia )nstitute Press, ,556A, p. =6. . +ristotle, On the Generation of Animals as /uoted in 4erda Berner, The Creation of Feminist Consciousness From Middle Ages to 1870 @2e Cor&' O*ford University Press, ,55=A, p. 6.

societal organi1ation, feminist movements these omen. !ith

ere born. +mong the

omen in these movements ay ahead of omen as

are "imone de 9eauvoir, ?annah +rendt, "imone !eil, and Edith "tein ho came e/ual to men. )n ,5,5, 4erman la Edith Stein grants

omen clamoring for e/ual rights, 4ermany came to recogni1e

omen full citi1enship. )t is at this time that Edith

"tein tac&les the concern of oman#s feminine value. Edith "tein, 4erman De , born in 4ermany in ,E5, and died in +usch it1 in ,5;., is significant for three innovations in the history of philosophy' the reconciliation of Thomism ith phenomenology, the integration of psychology and philosophy in the particular study of empathy, and the consideration of $ oman% as a fundamental category for philosophical research. ?istorically, Edith "tein ran&s among those humanistic pioneers ith the uni/ue nature of educational reform that girl an all(round education suited to her feminine uni/ueness. ho ere involved ay for oman#s psyche. "tein asserted the fundamental necessity to give a "tein paved the ould incorporate at least three concepts from her pedagogical theory'

first, a concern for a proper understanding of our human, feminine or masculine, and individual naturesF second, the need for a harmonious education hich develops our emotional, intellectual, and physical capacitiesF and religious foundation in all formation. Ontological Exa ination of Wo an The in/uiry into the essence of oman has its logical place in a philosophical or&, The Concept of Woman,= a fruit =. anthropology. Prudence +llen, in her monumental

years of research, e*amines philosophers# thoughts on gender and identity bet een :G7 9.3. to ,.G7, in a first volume, and ,.G7 to ,G77 or the early humanist reformation, in a second volume. +llen articulates three basic theories of first theory is the !nisex vie bet een man and vie , dignity. of Plato omenHs identity in these encyclopedic volumes. The hich claims that there are not significant differences hile the third theory, the

oman and that the soul is se*less. The second theory is +ristotle#s "olarity

hich argues the male is superior to the female,

co "le entarity vie , holds that men and omen have significant differences, but are e/ual in

"ister Prudence +llen, 0.".M., The Concept of Woman @Michigan, U.".+.' !illiam 9. Eerdmans Publishing 3ompany, .77.A.

+llenHs first volume e*plores the

ay in

hich the polarity vie

came to dominate

!estern thought by the end of the ,=th century. )n the second volume, +llen sho s the fresh base for complementarity in renaissance humanism, 9enedictine monastic tradition ith complementarity emerging in the here +ristotle is a re/uired ith philosophers li&e ?ildegard of 9ingen. Then education The +ristotelian argument becomes dominant and the hat cascades do n through the centuries. !ith the omen are e*cluded

shifts from monasteries to universities. The University of Paris, reading, becomes the paradigm. assumption of +ristotelian thin&ing about gender is from universities for centuries. !ith the long(standing discrimination against

omen#s inferiority and incompleteness as human beings,

omen, the tas& of specifying the

distinctiveness of the feminine species becomes highly controversial. !omen felt forced to prove to themselves and to others their capacity for full humanity and for abstract thought. They manifestly desired to counteract the pervasive patriarchal assumptions of their inade/uacy for educational, political, and economic life. Thus the /uery $!hat is fundamental and lasting importance in the battle for gender identity. That from man is a reality and to achieve full respect for understand her feminine ontology. ) employ "tein#s use of the term ethos to refer to oman#s nature. + dictionary definition of the term ethos yields the follo ing meanings' characteristic attitudes, philosophy.; Understood habit, habitation, custom, character, hich the ith its scholastic definition, the term ethos in oman% ac/uires a oman is different

omen and their identity, it is vital to

"tein means an inner form. Ethos encompasses a person#s constant spiritual attitude of the soul such as cheerfulness and melancholy. +long several,

scholastics term ha itus.G The term inborn habitus is used to refer to a natural asic disposition ith ethos, this general concept of oman as hich ha itus is made specific by focusing on values. To spea& of ethos is to designate ha itus, one or hich possesses positive valueI.6 Thus, this study e*amines the value of idea of a distincti#e nat!re: e*plicated through the of the feminine species

; G

!ebster#s T entieth 3entury >ictionary @U.".+.' !orld Publishing 3ompany, ,5:7A, p. 6.E. Edith "tein, !ssa"s on Woman trans. Freda Mary Oben, .nd edition, revised @!ashington, >3' )3" Publications, )bid. Ethos meaning character is derived from the 4ree& charrassein hich means distinctive mar&.

,556A, henceforth to be cited as E!. E! ;=.

6 :

encompasses a natural basic disposition of a feminine soul that $cannot be modified by environmental, economic, cultural, or professional factors%.E From her reading of Genesis, Edith "tein deduces that humanity is divided into the double creations of man and oman. To be a member of the human race means to be so, as a male or female. 9et een the t o se*es, "tein#s claim is that there is a difference not only in body structure and in particular physiological functions, but also in the entire corporeal life of man and oman. "tein used the creation narratives of 4enesis to dra out hat she considered to be the natural vocation of oman. 0ecording the creation of Eve out of the rib of +dam, "tein reasons that as Eve as designed as a helpmate, every oman is meant to be both a companion ith human birth and ith the hatever @her spousal vocationA and a mother. ?er close connection is living, personal, and

development of a ne human being is hat leads oman to see& and easily bond ith natural, maternal yearning.%5 !oman is naturally inclined to

hole. $To cherish, guard, protect, nourish, and advance gro th is her hat is human, and tends to give

relationships a higher importance than or&, success, reputation, etc. "tein upholds the claim of Thomas +/uinas that the human person is a subsistent unity of body and soul @unli&e the radical dualism of >escartes representing soul and body as t o different and distinct entitiesA. "ince each natural substance is a composite of form and matter and since matter is hat distinguishes one human being from another, the body is therefore ith it, free choice, essential to the person, and is not simply a machine or a shell for the soul that could be discarded ithout serious loss to the $real% self.,7 0ationality, she e*plains, and along belong to every human being and so to every oman as a human person. 9ut if the soul is the ith this body or that ill have a

formative principle of the body @anima forma corporisA, as "tein infers from a formulated truth of "t. Thomas, and the form of humanity is individuated by being united masculine body must correspond to a masculine soul.% ,, The mar& their personalities. The common to all
E 5

one, "tein argues that $the feminine body must correspond to a feminine soul 8ust as the oman#s soul then spiritual /uality distinct from the man#s soul. The physical distinctions therefore profoundly oman#s body stamps her soul ith particular /ualities that are these omen but different from distinctively masculine traits. "tein sa

differences as complementary and not hierarchical in value, and so they should be recogni1ed
!W ,:;. Baura 4arcia, JEdith "tein ( 3onvert, 2un, MartyrJ in Crisis @Dune ,55:A, ,E(.=. ,7 Baura 4arcia, )bid. ,, !W .,.

and celebrated rather than minimi1ed or deplored.,. "tein asserts, there are then t o being human, as man or oman. $eal %e inine &istincti#eness )n e*amining

ays of

oman#s nature, "tein fuses phenomenology, metaphysics, Thomism for

her philosophical method "tein asserts a claim for real feminine distinctiveness, hile affirming the e/uality of the se*es and her commitment to a common human nature and the uni/ueness of each individual. "he upholds the Thomistic notion that man and oman share a common human nature and an e/ual human dignity, but maintains that there are real differences bet een man and oman. These differences are' anatomic @in body structureA, biologic @ oman can give birth to another human being, man cannotF the chromosomal composition is ** for logical thin&ers, oman, and *y for menF hormonal composition is also differentA, intellectual @men are generally left(brained or omen, in general, right(brained or creative thin&ersA, psychological @most omen are more emotional than menA, in roles @ omen are mothers, men are fathersA, and the soul, according to "tein, is either feminine or masculine. "tein agrees ith +ristotle and +/uinas that the human person is a subsistent unity of body and soul, a composite of matter and form. The body, being the matter of the human being, and the soul, being its form. +pplying the Thomistic formula of the soul as the formative principle of life, "tein infers that $)f the soul is the formative principle of the body and the form of humanity is individuated by being united ith this body or that one, then $the feminine body must correspond to a feminine soul 8ust as the masculine body must correspond to a masculine soul.% ,= !ith the differences bet een man and oman being an undeniable reality, e can then spea& about real feminine distinctiveness. "tein, ho ever, sa these differences as complementary and not hierarchical. They do not ma&e one superior to the other. )n e*amining oman#s feminine nature, e see that oman#s body is designed so that she can give birth to another human being. 9ecause of this, oman#s psychological ma&e(up is made for close connection ith persons. )f such is oman#s nature, "tein contends that her natural role in society, her vocation or calling is to be of assistance to persons or man#s helpmate as mother and companion. "tein dra s support from the Old Testament to elucidate her theory.
,. ,=

)bid. !W .,.

)n 4enesis ., she reads that 4od created oman as eser #enegdo a ?ebre term meaning $a helper vis(K(vis to man.% "tein interprets this to mean a companion in relation to another personF oman as created to be of assistance to another human being. +s "tein says, $)t is oman#s gift and happiness to share the life of another human being.%,; Thus it is natural for oman to interest herself in people. This inclination stems largely from her maternal gift. "tein articulates a distinct claim on feminine nature as having t o essential characteristics. They are that oman is oriented to persons and that she is oriented to holeness. Orientation to the person for "tein means that her body and soul are fashioned to cherish, guard, and preserve, because she can carry another human being inside her body. Man#s body and soul, on the other hand, are fashioned to fight, con/uer, and protect. 9y orientation to holeness "tein means oman can grasp realities in totality. "he does not dissect an ob8ect but grasps in holes. "he can understand another person as a hole being through intuition, emotion, and empathy. Man, on the other hand, is inclined to analytic thin&ing and &no s things follo ing stages of abstractionF this he achieves by reasoning. !e note that it is formation of a ne oman#s capacity for motherhood that affects practically her hole being. +s "tein ays of

thin&ing, behaving, it determines her physical and spiritual that one is entire nature of oman.%,G

rites, $The mysterious process of

creature in the maternal organism represents such an intimate unity of the ell able to understand that this unity imposes itself on the

The Nat!re of Wo an's E otional (ife Emotion is stronger in oman in that she e*periences more po erfully the value of a

human being as person. 9eing person(oriented, the ob8ect of her emotions is persons. ) turned to +nthony Lenny, 0obert "olomon, Ma* "cheler, Edmund ?usserl, and Dean Paul "artre for their theories on the intentionality of emotions to elucidate Stein's clai .. of "ersons as the ob)ect of *o an's e otions+ These theories sho hich an emotion is directed or targeted tells us that as a matter of logic, every emotion has a particular ob8ect. The ob8ect of the emotion or that to hat e value. !e only respond emotionally to ob8ects that are important to us.
,; ,G

!W ;6. !W 5G.

For "tein,

oman comes to understand persons not 8ust through reason, but also more

po erfully through her emotions. E otion as Wo an's Strength )n earlier years, than man oman#s emotions as loo&ed upon as her frailty. !oman as often as

referred to as the - ea&er se*# in that having greater sensitivity, she is more li&ely to be ounded hose po er of abstraction often shields him from negative feelings. $!ea&% ith patriarchy being the dominant form of societal order, al ays used to refer to physical strength glorified physical hat is fragile, delicate, brea&able, vulnerable, and sensitive. !ith oman#s as loo&ed upon as an indication of inferiority. ?istory

ea&ness versus male strength

sho s that civili1ation gradually institutionali1ed assumptions about gender that have po erfully affected the development of history and human thought. One such assumption is' $Men are -naturally# superior stronger and more rational, therefore designed to be dominant. From this follo s that men are political citi1ens and responsible for representing the polity. !omen are $naturally% ea&er, inferior in intellect and rational capacities, unstable emotionally and therefore incapable of political participation. They stand outside of the polity.%,6 Metaphors of gender emerged constructing the male as the norm and the female as deviantF the male as hole and po erfulF the female as unfinished, physically mutilated and ith the oman#s place and condition as $lo er% emotionally dependent. Out of this thin&ing arose a functioning system of patriarchal hegemony resulting in comple* hierarchical relationships to man in social, economic, political relations, and in systems of ideas. "tein#s philosophy on oman may yet help to restore the proper hierarchy of values as it recogni1es the !ni,!e #al!e of fe ininity and its crucial mission in the !ssa"s on Woman' The strength of the oman lies in the emotional life. This is in accord ith her attitude to ard personal being itself. For the soul perceives its o n being in the stirrings of the emotions. Through the emotions, it comes to &no hat it is and ho it isF it also grasps through them the relationship of another being to itself, and then, conse/uently, the significance of the inherent value of e*terior things, of unfamiliar people, and impersonal things. The emotions, the essential organs for comprehension of the e*istent in its totality and in its peculiarity, occupy the center of her being. They condition that struggle to
,6

orld. !oman#s emotions, loo&ed upon as her

frailty, can in fact be her very strength. !e see this clearly in the follo ing passage from "tein#s

Berner, ,55=, p. ;.

develop herself to a holeness and to help others to a corresponding development, hich e have found earlier to be characteristic of oman#s soul.,: The importance of her emotions stems from the fact that the psyche is naturally constituted for the greatest closeness and affinity corroborated by psychoanalysts ho e*plain that a oman#s monthly

reproductive cycle ma&es her a potential bearer of a ne human being ithin her very body. ?er ith others + 2urturance comes naturally to herF she more easily responds to the neediness of all men. This thin&ing is oman has facility for inner communication ith other persons by virtue of her capacity for motherhood. )n maternity, there e*ists an $infantile preconceptual communication communication of &no ledge ith the child. ith the mother%,E. This flu*, according to feminine psychology, is by no means a one( ay affair. The mother herself participates similarly in the Bong after the umbilical cord is severed, there persists an invisible cord. !hat e*ists is a deeply #no$ing relationship bet een child and mother ( $a mode hich precedes the advent of reason and, in a sense, transcends it.%,5 This notion has led e*perts in psychology to thin& the $male% component of intelligence does not participate in this. The father does not have the same inner relationship to the ne born child as the mother. The &ind of inner communication that the mother has is not shared by the father until the child himself communicates by signals.7. !e see that psychology substantiates "tein#s claim about the oman#s greater capacity @than manA for a areness of, sensitivity to, and empathy for persons. To be feminine is to manifest such /ualities as responsiveness, and intuitive armth, tenderness, care, empathy, s eetness, ell. )t particularly benefits a man in 9ecause of her isdom. )n conse/uence, her $a areness of the needs of the living

being benefits not only her posterity, but all creatures as

ma&ing her a companion and helpmate appreciative of his aspirations.% ., this as follo s'

intuitive isdom, oman is more easily able to ponder over the realities of life. "tein elucidates

This is closely related to the vocation of motherhood. The tas& of assimilating in oneself a living being hich is evolving and gro ing, of containing and nourishing it, signifies a definite end in itself. Moreover, the mysterious process of formation of a ne creature in the maternal organics represents such an intimate unity of the physical and spiritual that
,: ,E

"tein, ,556, p.56. Larl "tern, The Flight from Woman @2e Cor&, U.".+.' Paragon ?ouse, ,5EGA, p. E.. ,5 )bid. .7 )bid, p. =.. ., "tein, p. :;.

one is ell able to understand that the intimate unity imposes itself on the entire nature of oman... 9ecause of this natural inclination to holeness and self(containment, "tein suggests that omen tend to aim more to ard a holistic e*pression of personality, to ard the perfecting of individual abilities. "he argues that to ard empathy in that they see& to grasp the other person as a manifests itself in a oman#s desire for her o n to become complete persons. $!oman,% "tein hile men tend to aim omen have a natural tendency hole being. This characteristic

holeness and in her desire also to help others rites, $is psychically directed to the concrete,

the individual, and the personal' she has the ability to grasp the concrete in its individuality and to adapt herself to it, and she has the longing to help this peculiarity to its development.% .= !hether it is an a areness and sensitivity to ard her o n personal being or that of others, it is her emotions that is responsible for this feminine &ind of holistic &no ledge and discernment. 9ut does this mean that !ducation' )n saying that omen are more personally and less ob8ectively(oriented, "tein is not claiming that omen are less capable of abstract thoughtF rather, as Mary 3atharine 9aseheart puts it, $characteristically omen are not content to remain on the level of the abstract% @"tein, ,5E5, p. .:=A. There is a drive in the feminine to relate the conceptual bac& to the concrete, the psychological bac& to particular psyches, and the theoretical bac& to the orld of e*perience. Thus, the orientation to ard the personal and the concrete need not be a denial of the abstract and conceptual, but it does indicate a dissatisfaction ith the merely abstract and conceptual, and an unhappiness ith only a part hen one can be oriented to the hole..; This leads us to sum up "tein#s arguments about a property of the female species in one adaptability% oman#s emotional life as a distinct oman is less capable of abstract thought and less oriented to hat is ob8ectiveM "arah 9orden ans ers this /uestion in an essay entitled Woman and Women%s

ord' motherliness @"tein, p. E.&. !oman tends to the

$mothering% of all she meets. The feminine is characteri1ed by $feeling, intuition, empathy, and hereas the masculine is characteri1ed by $bodily strength, the ability for predominantly abstract thought and independent creativity.% .G !omen are made to love and

.. .=

"tein, p. 5G. "tein, pp. ,77(,7,. .; 9orden, .77=, pp. EE(,,G.

.G

cherish all living things and to desire their full development. The feminine is characteri1ed by a responsiveness to the real. The Intentionality of E otions )n 'o(e and )esponsi ilit", Larol !o8tyla, sensuality, rites about emotion being stronger in oman hile

than in man because -she e*periences more po erfully the value of a human being#I, and more importunate in men..6 This vie on emotion in oman helps us understand ho

hich is oriented to ards the -body as an ob8ect of en8oyment#, is in general stronger

emotion can in fact be oman#s

strength, rather than her frailty. $+t the heart of every emotion is a set of fundamental ontological and evaluative commitments, % rites 0obert 3. "olomon in his boo& The *assions+ !motions and the Meaning of 'ife @,55=A. +ll emotions are intentional, because they are a out something, ultimately both $about% ourselves and our orld. One is never simply in lo(eF he or she is in love $ith someone. )t is impossible to fall in love something. That particular ob8ect ithout falling in love $ith someone. This feature of emotions called intentionalit" tells us that all emotions are a out hich the emotion is about is called its intentional o ,ect, or simply its hich constitutes the emotion. "olomon#s e*ample is that of someone being ob8ect. +s a matter of logic, every emotion has its particular ob8ect. Furthermore, it is this angry, the ob8ect of his emotion being that a person, Dohn, had stolen his car' $) am angry that -ohn stole m" car.% The ob8ect of one#s anger is irreducibly that.-ohn.stole.m".car. )n li&e fashion, +nthony Lenny tac&les the ob8ect(directedness of emotions in Action/ !motion and Will @,56=A. For Lenny, emotions, unli&e sensations, have an intentional structure. $Emotions, unli&e pain, have ob8ects' e are afraid of things, angry ashamed that ith people, e have done such(and(such.%.: ?e calls this feature of emotions their

-intentionality.#.E Lenny analy1es the intentionality of emotions employing the scholastic notion of a formal ob8ect @that to $hich a thing is directed& . Emotions, Lenny e*plains, are mental states and mental states are specified by their formal ob8ects, and not by their material ob8ects
.6

Larol !o8tyla, 'o(e and )esponsi ilit", @"an Fransisco' )gnatius Press, ,55=A, p. ,::. 9eing the giver of the sperm in a se*ual act, se*ual arousal happens faster in man than in oman @see !o8tyla p. .:.A, the arousal curve being shorter and more violent in man @see p. .:GA. .: +nthony Lenny, Action/ !motion/ and Will @2e Cor&' 0outledge N Legan Paul, ,567A, p. ,;. .E Lenny uses -intensionality# in his boo&. ) ill employ -intentionality,# a more familiar usage.

,7

@that

" $hich something came to

e& or by their causes. To understand an emotion, and hy hat caused @material e can appreciate

conse/uently, to understand

hy persons e*perience certain emotions or to comprehend

they react emotionally to certain situations, it is not sufficient to &no emotion is bound or directed. )f

ob8ectA an occasion that gave rise to the incidence of the emotion. One needs to &no to hat the hat characteri1es an emotion is its ob8ect, that our emotions reflect our ay of seeing the orld. For phenomenologists li&e Ma* "cheler, intentionalit" denotes that all feelings $possess -a lived reference to the ) @or the PersonA.# The intentional correlates of the feelings of life are the values closed ithin one#s o n vitalityF those of the spiritual feelings are the self(value of the e must first distinguish Person.%.5 Emotions, for "cheler, are self(involved in that they are about ob8ects that are important to us. To understand "cheler#s notion of intentionality, 2on.formal !thics of 3alue/ "cheler bet een the 0feeling of something1 and $feeling states.% )n his boo&, Formalism in !thics and rites that there is original emotive intentionality in the 0feeling of something1 as opposed to $feeling states.%=7 @"cheler, ,5:=, p. .G6A. +ll specifically sensible feelings, are by their nature, states, and may be more or less $ob8ectless.% They include moods, is therein felt. "cheler rites, There is here an original relatedness, a directedness of feeling to ard something ob8ective, namely, (alues4 This &ind of feeling is not a dead state of affairs that can enter into associative connections or be related to themI. This feeling is a goal(determined movementI. )t is not e5ternall" rought together ith an ob8ect, hether immediately or through a representation @ hich can be related to a feeling either mechanically or fortuitously or by mere thin&ingA. On the contrary, feeling originally intends its o n &ind of ob8ects, namely $values% @pp. .G:(.GEA. )f for +ristotle and Lant the significance of the emotional as hardly recogni1ed, for ith all la s of hich may have causes but are not directed to any ob8ect in hat particular. !ith intentional feeling, ho ever, there is a connection bet een the feeling and

"cheler, the emotional sphere of man has a place of importance side by side

logic and reason. The emotional sphere of man occupies a fundamental place for "cheler, a
.5 =7

"tephan "trasser , *henomenolog" of Feeling @Pittsburg' >u/uesne University Press, ,5::A, p. E;. Ma* "cheler, Formalism in !thics and 2on.formal !thics of 3alue4 @U.".+.' 2orth estern University Press,

,5:=A, p. .G6.

,,

sphere

hich he called, together

ith Pascal, the $ordo amoris%

hich is $the harmonious ith immanent intuited

structure of emotional intentionality and intentional feeling together

ob8ects' values. Man, therefore, is the ontic place in hich values occur% @Frings, p. E5A. Wo an and E "athy "ince understand oman is naturally inclined to emotional response to others, it is easy to hy persons are logically the ob8ect of her emotions. For "tein, this is simply a hich involves sharing the life of another,

conse/uence of her innate capacity for motherhood, for e*ercising empathy place of the other

entering into it, and ma&ing that person#s concerns one#s o n. !omen have a greater capacity hich "tein describes as a clear a areness of another person, not simply of the content of his e*perience, but of his e*perience of that content. )n empathy, one ta&es the ithout becoming strictly identical to him. )t is not 8ust understanding the e*periences of the other, but ta&ing them on as one#s o n. Empathy comes from the 4ree& ords im @inA and pathe @meaning to suffer, feelA. "tein actually used the 4erman !infuhlung meaning' $in(feeling% or feeling(into and feeling( ithin. Empathy is a rough translation of !infuhlung notion "tein hich "tein used to refer to the e*perience of a clear a areness of a person, rote an entire dissertation on hich she entitled $On the Problem of Empathy.% as vague. For ?usserl, consisting not simply of the content of his e*perience, but of his e*perience of that content, a "he became interested in empathy hen ?usserl, her mentor, discussed empathy a transcendental theory of e*periencing someone else in a lecture. ?is usage, ho ever, empathy is the transcendental constitution of ob8ects in consciousness. ?is usage of constitution refers to the givenness of se/uential appearings of an ob8ect in our consciousness. For "tein, ho ever, beings are not constituted as such, but are -felt(into#. )n e*amining empathy, "tein uses phenomenology, the study of human e*perience and of the ays things present themselves to us in and through such an e*perience. )ts aim is to arrive at the &no ledge of a thing by -brac&eting# its non(essentials so that $bac& to the things themselves% so that e reach its essence or the thing(in(itself, the pure phenomenon. +fter all, phenomenology aims to go e arrive at apodicticit" or clear and demonstrable certainty. "tein#s theory of empathy refers to an inner a areness of another human being as such, $entering% into the consciousness of the person empathi1ed, so that my $)% gets inside the stream of consciousness of another $)%.

,.

"tein#s contention is that a areness of another person is achieved by perception. For "tein, t o perceive is not merely -to see#. Perceiving goes ith seeing, feeling, sensing, ascertaining, 8udging happening all at the same time. +nd this seeing, feeling, sensing, ascertaining, 8udging happening all at the same time is better &no n as intuition, innere anshaung in "tein#s 4erman usage, or superlogic and translogic in the usage of intuitionists li&e 9ergson, or empathetic perception, in "tein#s dissertation. This notion e*presses bac& the steps by hat popular opinion credits to oman as /uic&ness of perception or that she ithout being able to trace oman#s empathetic 8umps to conclusions because she apprehends things faster than men, perception to be her strength. "teins rites, it is $Ian intuitive grasp of the living concreteF especially of the personal element. "he has the special gift of ma&ing herself at home in the inner orld of others%.=, -oncl!sion Emerita Ouito, in her boo& on the phenomenology of ?usserl and "tein claims that empathetic perception is intuitive intelligence $ here Bogic no longer applies, here the rules of &no ledge are suspended, here one uses supra(logical means to arrive at truth%.=. !ith empathy, hole, so that e see that $Essences are -seen# in their entirety, not follo ed se/uentially%. == rites, is recogni1ed in his entirety, as a compenetrating and meaningful e reach apodicticit" about the essence of the human being or an ob8ective ith Ouito that ith empathy, $Ithere is no orries about The person, "tein

hich she arrived at a conclusion. "tein thus sees

understanding about the man#s being and value as a $person%. 3learly, there is a big advantage to this type of &no ledge. !e are led to agree of other minds possibility of error%.=; "tein ma&es a significant contribution to the clarification of the problem ith her theory of empathy in that, aside from re8ecting s&eptical the &no ledge of other minds, empathy unfolds the person as a meaningful and intelligible hole as a psycho(physical, empirical, and rational personality, going beyond a purely
=, =.

!W ,EE. Ouito, p. 6G. == Marianne "a ic&i, 6od"/ Te5t/ and 7cience+ The 'iterac" of 8n(estigati(e *ractices and the *henomenolog" of !dith 7tein4 9U.".+.' Llu er +cademic Publishers, ,55:A, p. GG.
=;

Ouito, p. :7.

,=

$mentalistic% vie

of personhood that limits the person to a mind or to reason. 9eing a oman#s intrinsic $connectedness% ith persons, ) thin& empathy is a

phenomenological problem, ) recommend that empathy be further e*plored. "o far, as it aids us in comprehending deeply ma8or accomplishment by "tein as a theory that can be employed to arrive at an incisive analysis and a penetrating understanding of importance of her feminine nature. "tein#s argument for emotional life in oman as an important hallmar& of feminine ethos, can be vie ed as an unambiguous philosophical frame or& is the sole privilege and uni/ue advantage of ith hich e can dispute long( hether standing claims to the oman as $inferior% to man. "tein helps us to appreciate ho motherhood oman. )n e*ercising her motherhood, biological or spiritual, oman can imbue human relations ith delicateness and nurturing care. +s "tein#s theory of empathy sho s, intuitive intelligence is more intimately tied up ith love than analytical intelligence. )n short, oman is endo ed ith uni/ue and e*clusive /ualities ith hich she can contribute to the common good in no ay that man can since he is short of those /ualities or possesses them on a lo er scale. Thus in these times, the /uestion of oman#s position or standing in society ta&es on ne significance in the light of her feminine singularity. Notes
,

oman#s ethos and of the distinct value and singular

>avid notes that $the paradigm for this, of course, is )mmanuel Lant#s self(legislating moral sub8ect, for hom the most distinctive thing about ethical reasoning lies not in any effort at consultation ith others, but in the ability to deploy /uasi(mathematical approaches in stating, defending, and applying universal principles% @p.6A. . Larol !o8tyla, 'o(e and )esponsi ilit", @"an Fransisco' )gnatius Press, ,55=A, p. ,::. 9eing the giver of the sperm in a se*ual act, se*ual arousal happens faster in man than in oman @see !o8tyla p. .:.A, the arousal curve being = shorter and more violent in man @see p. .:GA. Lenny uses -intensionality# in his boo&. ) ill employ -intentionality,# a more familiar usage.

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+dolphe, Dane. 7aint/ 7cholar/ Forerunner Woman4 saintaustinrevie .comQmay7=.

9aseheart, Mary 3atharine. JEdith "teinHs Philosophy of 3ommunity, J The *ersonalist ,;

Forum 7upplement, E',, ,55=. 9aseheart, M.3., Binda Bope1 Mc+lister, N !altraut "tein. JEdith "teinJ in A :istor" of Women *hilosophers/ 3ol4 ; ed. Ellen !aithe. The ?ague' Martinus 2i8hoff, ,557 N 9oston' Llu er, ,55G, ,G:(,E:. 9at1dorff, "usanne. J+unt Edith' De ish ?eritage, 3atholic "aint,J America4 @February ,=, ,555A. PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP. Aunt !dith+ the -e$ish :eritage of a Catholic 7aint. "pringfield, )B' Templegate Publishers, ,55E. 9orden, "arah. $!oman and !omen#s Education41 7tein+ !dith 7tein4 Bondon' 3ontinuum Press, .77=. PPPPPPPPPPPP 3alue/ !motions/ and !dith 7tein/ a paper presented at the 2otre >ame#s 3enter for Ethics and 3ulture conference on Formation and 0ene al, October ;, .77=. 9renner, 0achel Feldhay. Writing as )esistance/ Four Women Confronting the :olocaust. U.".+.' Pennsylvania "tate University, ,55:. 3hervin, 0onda. .Feminine, Free, and Faithful,/ Real Women. "an Fransisco' )gnatius Press, ,5E6. >avid, Buis "., ".D., Ph.>., Women%s 7tandpoint/ the Gendering of Moral 3oices<Moral 7el(es/ and the 3ie$ from Foucault4 Danuary(Dune .77,, vol. ., no. ,. Philippines' University of the Philippines, .77,. >e Torre, Doseph M. $From !oman to Feminism% in Generation and =egeneration+ A 7ur(e" of 8deologies4 Manila' "outheast +sian "ciences Foundation, )nc., ,55G. Encyclopedia 9ritannica. $Problem of Other Minds.% http'QQ .britannica.comQebcQarticleMtoc)dR5=:;.=;N/ueryRautomatonNctR Frings, Manfred ". Ma5 7cheler/ 2on.Formal !thics in our Time/ Philosophy Today, vol. 5Q.;. U.".+.' >e Paul University, ,56G. 4arcia, Baura. JEdith "tein ( 3onvert, 2un, Martyr.J Crisis @Dune ,55:A. 4illigan, 3arol. Concepts of the 7elf and Moralit"4 U.".+.' ?arvard Educational 0evie ;:, ,55:. ?erbstrith, !altraud. O.3.>., !dith 7tein+ A 6iograph"4 "an Fransisco' )gnatius Press, ,55.. ?usserl, Edmund E. Cartesian Meditations+ An 8ntroduction to *henomenolog". ,G

2etherlands' Martinus 2i8hoff, ,567. Lenny, +nthony. Action/ !motion/ and Will. 2e Cor&' 0outledge N Legan Paul, ,567. Berner, 4erda. The Creation of Feminist Consciousness .. From Middle Ages to 1870. 2e Cor&' O*ford University Press, ,55=. Mead, Dude, 3.P. $"pirituality and "ome +spects of Feminine Psychology,% )eal Women Ed. by "r. 3oncetta 9elleggia. "an Fransisco' )gnatius Press, ,555. Pope Dohn Paul )), Mulieris =ignitatem, ,5EE, hhtp. .vatican.org.,5EE.

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