ABSTRACT

The biological sciences provide ample opportunity and motivation for feminist interventions. Feminist philosophy of biology focuses on the ethical and epistemic adequacy and responsibility of biological claims about sex/gender. This work is critical in the sense of identifying epistemically and ethically irresponsible knowledge claims, research practices, and dissemination of biological research regarding sex/gender, including ways that sex/gender interacts with other social categories. Feminist philosophers of biology have demonstrated ways in which harmful values can negatively affect the choice and structure of research questions, evidence, and arguments in the biological sciences. Feminist philosophy of biology has also drawn attention to ways that evidence and arguments can be problematically laden with implicit values that are both epistemically and ethically harmful. The relationship between values and metaphysical assumptions about the biology of sex/gender is important because assumptions facilitate the production and reproduction of biological knowledge claims that are implicitly laden with stereotypical gender values.