Okin’s Reflections On The Theory Of Justice From The Perspective Of The Family

Susan Moller Okin is a famous contemporary feminist political philosopher,who specialized in family justice.In her view,the traditional family is certainly unjust,and mainstream justice theorists have no objection with it.Because they take it for granted that justice is not needed in the family sphere.Okin made a comprehensive examination of traditional theory of justice.In her opinion,if a member of society is born female,which determines her lifetime prospects,and this prospect is inferior to that of a man,with more burdens and less income from work,then the society has not treated women with justice.A theory of justice that ignores women is incomplete.Looking back on the discussion of family in the history of western political philosophy,the value of family is easily classified into concepts such as“sympathy” and “love”.These concepts are considered to be contrary to“reason”,so the philosophers who extol “reason” naturally ignore the family.The traditional theory of justice connects women with irrationality,separates the public sphere from the private sphere,and locks women firmly in the private sphere with the marriage system,thus successfully erasing justice in the family sphere.Because of this,Okin stood on the feminist standpoint and from three different perspectives——nature,public and private fields,marriag——exposed the traditional theory of justice to the neglect of family and women.At the same time,Okin also clarified the tension between feminism and multiculturalism.The goal of multiculturalism is the recognition and inclusion of the unique identities and needs of ethnic and cultural groups.Therefore,when Okin pointed out the injustice within the family and advocated that all families should treat men and women with equal justice,some cultural minorities criticized her,claiming that Okin ignored human rights,religious freedom,and other issues.Okin responded by clarifying that she is not against religious freedom,let alone the elimination of a culture.She felt,however,that certain preconditions should be discussed before granting groups special rights to ensure the continuity of their culture,and caution should be exercised about the extension of group rights.Finally,the paper reveals that contemporary theorists try to recognize the equal status of women in a neutral tone but actually deny family justice when they facing the split between family and justice,and to illustrate the vulnerability and poverty of women in the face of injustice in the family.This part will also consider the feasibility of deconstructing gender and establishing a just family by relying on public policies based on Okin’s solution path,and reflect on the defects of over-idealization of Okin’s just family combined with the reality of Chinese culture.