Abstract

Feminist Philosophy of Religion – an innovative Project This essay seeks to launch a systematic basis for a feminist philosophy of religion. The critical thrust is explained with reference to latent sexism in a great part of the traditional philosophy of religion, with reference to Vatican documents, which are marked by perceptions and observations that have resulted in an attitude of discrimination against women. Furthermore, many theories in the field of feminist theology are flawed by argumentative deficiencies as well. These problem areas warrant a necessity to develop a new approach, which eliminates the reductionist views dominating the current debates, by means of a careful philosophical argument. The article is divided in three parts. It starts by a short exposition of the issues at stak, to explain the philosophical methodology and the concept of feminist philosophy constituting the basis of this essay. Reconstructing central differentiations of Kant's 'Critical Philosophy', it is demonstrated that Kant's most elaborate conception of the human being does provide a sound foundation for dealing with the pressing issues of our time. Thus core elements of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason are examined in light of the question, in which way a philosophical and theological discourse on God may be possible. What can feminist philosophy gain from Kant's moral philosophy as it seeks to discard unfounded or defective theories that result in discrimination against women? The third point leads through central arguments of Kant's philosophy of religion, mainly his theory of "Herzenskündiger”, and provides a survey of Kant's philosophical conception of 'church' (ethical commonwealth), contending that this sophisticated understanding is more in line with feminist concerns than some recent theories of an 'ecclesia of women'.