Maternal Thinking: Toward a Politics of Peace

Discusses the philosophical perspective that grows out of the work mothers do, and suggests how a maternal approach to politics could lead to a more peaceful world

Mothers bear the brunt of the job of nurturing, protecting and caring for children, so couldn't the maternal instinct or outlook be tapped to galvanize a nonviolent, anti-militarist politics of peace? That is what Ruddick proposes in this well-intentioned but muddled philosophical treatise. She argues that the everyday chores of mothering foster a distinctly maternal style of thinking that fuses feeling, reflection and action. As defined here, "maternal thinking" breeds respect for individual differences, as well as a commitment to resolve disputes without fisticuffs. Ruddick notes, however, that "mothers are often militant and usually support the war policies of their states," and that many mothers train their tots in "unquestioning obedience." Undaunted by these realities, she looks to U.S. feminist struggles and Latin American women's resistance movements for ways to turn more mothers against the Bomb.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.