Mary Daly

Paper Summary:

This paper traces the background and life of radical feminist philosopher and theologian, Mary Daly. It discusses her education and her career at Boston College and describes her struggles. The paper also discusses her evolving philosophy regarding women in society. The paper particularly focuses on the controversial aspects of Daly's philosophies.

Table of Contents:
Early Life and Education
Career at Boston College
Daly's Feminist Philosophy
Working from Within the System
Post-Christian Feminism
All Religions are Patriarchal
Other Destructive Aspects of Patriarchy
Utopian Society of the Future

From the Paper:

"Such hard-core feminism in her philosophy, which leaves absolutely no room for compromise with the patriarchal world, however, has evolved over the years. In her first book-- The Church and the Second Sex (1968), for example, Daly had begun with the naive hope of working from within the system and reforming the blatantly patriarchal nature of Christianity that degrades women's humanity and undermines their spirit. She reviewed in the book the historical record of Christian theory and practice to highlight its inherent misogyny. She notes that Christianity has sought to oppress and deceive women from its very inception by putting up unattainable visions of the Virgin Mary as an example of the "good Christian woman," while also affirming that Mary was made pure only through the act of a male god and only for the sake of a male savior--Jesus Christ. The exemplary woman in Christianity is, hence, depicted as passive, asexual, and submissive who is supposed to show patience and suffer silently in the face of oppression, awaiting some sort of reward in the life hereafter."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Biography of Mary Daly." (n.d.) Radical Elemental Feminist. Retrieved on August 25, 2007 from http://www.marydaly.net/biography.html
• Bridle, Susan. (1998). "No Man's Land." An Interview with Mary Daly: Enlightened Magazine. Retrieved on August 25, 2007 from http://www.wie.org/j16/daly.asp
• Daly, Mary. (1985). Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation. Beacon Press: Boston, 1985
• --------------. (1968). The Church and the Second Sex. Beacon Press: Boston, 1968.
• --------------. (1998). Quintessence. Beacon Press: Boston, 1968.

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