'What is a woman?' may seem a straightforward question, but it isn't. Feminist philosophers from Simone de Beauvoir onwards have had a great deal to say on this topic. Amia Srinivasan gives a lucid introduction to some of the key positions in this debate in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. She is talking to Nigel Warburton.
This is philosophy bites with me, Nigel.
Warburton, and me, David Edmonds.
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What is a woman?
That's not a question that has puzzled people for much of human history.
But in the 20th century, some feminists, most notably the french philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, drew a distinction between female biology and what it is to be a woman.
Women are not born women, thought de Beauvoir.
Society makes them so.
But this issue has been further complicated by a relatively new debate.
How should we categorise trans people, those who have a gender identity that differs from their sex?
It's a question that has caused a bitter rift among feminists, with one faction arguing that just identifying as a woman is not enough to make you a woman.
Here's Amir Srinivasan.
Amir Srinivasan, welcome to philosophy bites.
Thanks very much.
The topic we're going to focus on is, what is a woman?
Now, for many people, it's fairly obvious what a woman is.
What is the philosophical question there?