Feminism, Values, and the Bias Paradox

Abstract

Feminist philosophers of science have often made two seemingly inconsistent claims: that sexist values have influenced scientific reasoning in ways that have led to bias, and that feminist values ought to play a role structuring and influencing science. At first, one might wonder what feminism has to do with science. However, feminist philosophers of science have traditionally had three main aims: to identify and prevent gender and other problematic forms of bias in scientific reasoning, to identify and remove both formal and informal barriers to the participation of women and marginalized groups within science, and to ensure that the knowledge, interventions, and new technologies generated by scientific inquiry can benefit everyone in society. Many scholars have documented instances of sexist, androcentric, heterosexist, racist, and classist assumptions influencing science. Contextual empiricism maintains that it is not individual scientists, but scientific communities as a whole that are the locus of objectivity.