ABSTRACT
Critics of positivism as a philosophy of science point out that positive theories are often influenced by normative values. Positive views influence normative contentions as well. This chapter focuses on normative issues. Since the discussion of normative issues is most explicit within philosophy, it explores positions in social, economic, and political philosophy for their normative implications regarding comparable worth. The positions to be considered are patriarchal views, the libertarian, laissez-faire economic, and egalitarian strands of liberalism, liberal feminism, Marxism, socialist feminism, and radical and cultural feminism. The chapter aims to combine cultural feminism and radical feminism, though the match is by no means perfect. It also relates comparable worth to several normative positions in social, economic, and political philosophy. The chapter deals with the egalitarian-liberal and liberal-feminist commitment to equality of treatment of men and women in the economy, and shows this as a sufficient reason to favor governmental intervention for comparable worth.
