I Feel Therefore I Am:

Feminist theorists often reject "reason" as the basis for a feminist epistemology on the grounds that it is "male." this criticism of reason has sometimes been axiomatic and unconvincing. In place of "male reason," many feminist theorists have advanced the epistemological proposition that women know what they know via their "experiences." Using "experience" as the basis for a feminist epistemology hsa conceptual and practical problems: it invites and perpetuates the use of a stereotypical Female thus fostering essentialist theories which romanticize women and feminine attributes. Moreover, it is difficult to operationalize as the experiences of women vary dramatically across time and cultures, classes, races, etc. Problems with the feminist critique of reason and the use of experience as a substitute for rationalist epistemologies indicates that serious reevaluations for the maleness of "reason" and the femaleness of "experience" and intuition are in order.