Unequal rights. The impasse of political correctness and productive differences of male / female
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights starts with the words “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” This phrase can be understood in different ways. The most accepted interpretation is now considering “equality” as “identical”. This corresponds to the mathematical thinking, it dominates in the XX century, in which the statement «x = y» means that X is completely identical with y. I do not rule out that its role in this was played and the semantics of the English language in which the word “equal”, “equal to”, “equal” is not just the same root, and boil down to one word equal. Thinking mathematical metaphors creates another problem: if we think of abstract numbers, any X with any y is either in respect of equality, either hierarchically more-less. I have repeatedly encountered a situation When you are prompted to realize the difference between the present people have told me that this I humiliate one of the groups. It is worth remembering that the reality around us can not be reduced to abstract numbers. Dividing the whole into a category, we have not the X and y, and yin and yang.
Human rights are based on the universality of the human mind and a complete disregard for cultural and biological differences, so characteristic of the humanists of the Enlightenment. But this belief in the full versatility and brought this ethical concept to a standstill. We either for all the good and progressive (then all the people we are, and there are no cultural, and especially biological differences); either we are for all the bad things and we argue exactly what American culture is worse than Russian or why Africans are biologically predisposed to mental work. It seems to me that it is time to get out of this familiar dichotomy.
Cultural differences suggest yet leave out, and now focus on one simple biological fact: the woman’s body is different from the male body. Yes, there are borderline cases, but in most cases the body is clearly gender diffirentsirovano. And, horror of horrors, the human body has a certain floor features not peculiar to the other sex. One such obvious differences protrudes menstrual cycle. My male body will not let me know this phenomenon. Yes, I can rationally examine it. But however much I read a study about how in the course of the menstrual cycle hormonal changes and women’s preferences regarding potential partnersI still will not know what it is. And understanding this fact can easily imagine the inequality of rights.
The last two years I have taught a course on human rights in an American university. And I was amazed at how difficult it was to affect the issue of gender among my colleagues, most of whom considered themselves to be gender-blind(I do not notice the floor). Sometimes I have the feeling that the entire state flywheel is directed only to have to get the same for men and women in all spheres of life. “We must solve the problem of low recruitment of women in the class in mathematics, in the section on the fight with overweight women in volunteer organizations working with children.” But in order to bring this idea to the finish, should begin to implant all persons male device that will cause a sensation similar to those experienced by women during menstruation. Or make the cycles were not women. About it all advertising directed hygiene products, which should allow a woman to ignore the “problem days”.
When in the course of the emancipation of women began to seek the same rights as men, few people realize that these rights as the rest of the public sphere, have been created by men for men. In this context, for example, the fight for equal access to military service – this is a game according to the rules laid down by organisms with high testosterone content. But if “to be equal” becomes “to be the same,” it is not to win but to surrender femininity. This feminism, by contrast, would be to call into question all the institutions created by men, and their starting points. For example, men in general worse than read emotions. Says Simon Baron-Cohen , a well-known researcher of autism, “to be a man is to suffer a very mild form of autism.” A real feminist would then be actions that promote empathy in the world.
Empathy – “has no rational explanation for understanding, comprehension of the inner world or the emotional state of another person”. It is irrelevant in the modern utilitarian world built on the principles of rationality and efficiency. Why do I need to comprehend the pain of another? This will only increase my suffering. Efficiently and effectively come up with a cure, which drown his pain, and he will be as healthy as I am. But any pain – it is just a signal that some part of our body sends to the central nervous system, to pay attention to what is happening.
Unequal rights should be based on the principles of empathy when learning the other, I can conceive of what he needs, even if it is not necessary for me. Recently, the British company Coexist has decided to provide its female employees time off during menstruation . The Nike is a rule there since 2007.
This is an obvious example of unequal rights, which in this case supports the equality of human dignity.
Sourse, 07/04/2016
