Knowledge is Power (17) - How useful are the ancient moral sources to our current moral issues?
This was a very interesting topic in our Ethics class, so I decided to publish a short post on it. I recently posted some facts on Aristotle, Epicurus and Stoics, so let's try to go a little further...
There are many current moral issues in our society. I chose to discuss the abortion dilemma, as this is a very painful topic for women, as well as for men.
Many people are pro, many contra and many undecided weather abortion is morally wrong, or should it be legal or illegal. If we think that abortion is not morally wrong, that doesn't mean that it is right. We need to determine if abortion is the best thing to do in each particular case. The right of life is the most important right. That means that a woman have the right to decide what to do with her body. But also abortion can be viewed as a murder of a human person. In my opinion, we live in a democratic country and not giving women the choice over pregnancy is against our freedom. Maybe some women choose abortions to keep their careers going, but some women certainly can not care for the child. I believe that it is not ethical to force a woman to give birth to an unwanted child. In my opinion, women who choose abortion because they cannot be good mothers are making the most ethical choice.
This current moral issue resumes to women rights throughout the eras. In Aristotle's time, women had no rights whatsoever. They were considered inferior to men and their only mission was to bear children. Therefore Aristotle's moral ethics are totally against abortion.
Epicurus was more open to women and equality. He wrote in his Principal Doctrines that “Natural justice is a pledge of reciprocal benefit.” In his own school “The Garden,” he offered philosophy to anyone, including women and slaves, an unheard practice at that time. I think that Epicurus opened the gates for women rights, but not to the extend of the choice of abortion.
Stoics had a different attitude towards women. They were very progressive, therefore Stoicism can be in line with modern liberal feminism. The Stoic natural view is that women have rational natures and a capacity for reasoned choice. Women are men's equal and they have the same capacity for virtue as men. Epictetus criticized the sexualization of young women. Stoicism respects the human capacity for reason, which is the respect for human choice that is at the core of feminism.
There are some debates on whether the Stoics were feminist or not. From one point of view, Stoics believed that women were equals with men, as both are rational beings, but from a different point of view, they were conservative in practice. For example Epictetus' teachings are addressed to men only, meaning that men would lead women to with important decisions, women having secondary roles. That was the society at that time. The idea of women being dependent on men on their success was part of the culture of the time.
This post is a part of my series "Knowledge is Power". In case you missed the previous articles, you can read them here:
I personally think it is dangerous to rely on ancient writings as anything more than a guide. Mis-translations and the tyranny of time (viewing situations and language even) mean that we are viewing everything through a distorted lens which can lead us down the path of searching for confirmation. I see this all too often in the field of music that I work in, where we use historical resources to inform and break the shackles of centuries of tradition (resulting in misinterpretation of music from earlier centuries).
However, as to your question about women's rights to abortion. I think it should be legal and it is up to the woman to decide. If they have a moral objection, then they should not use the service, however, the suppression of choice by restriction of criminalising the service is (to me) a much less good alternative.
Definitely! I agree with you 💯. However, this post is only about history. I just wanted to show some ancient philosophers’ views about women’s rights. No interpretation. 😊
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