Abstract

Karen Warren has argued that environmental ethics must be feminist and that feminist ethics must be ecological. She endorses ecological feminism, or ecofeminism, as an environmental ethic with power and promise. Warren's assertions are worth investigating, for if vindicated they call for radical revision of much contemporary political and ethical thought. But recent ecofeminism theory is not as powerful as one might hope. I argue that much of this theory is based on values which are potentially damaging to moral agents, and which are not in accord with feminist goals. My intent is not to dismantle ecofeminism, but to analyze and clarify some of the philosophical problems with recent ecofeminist work, identify more promising work, and discuss ways that ecofeminism might realize its potential. ;Ecofeminism is a branch of ecological thought which attempts to combine feminist analysis with insights from contemporary ecology. The best examples of ecofeminist ethical theory offer a focus on the intersections of environmental and human social concerns. They uncover problematic philosophical assumptions, such as hierarchical dualisms, which fuel human oppression as well as environmental degradation and mistreatment of animals, and present alternative ethical frameworks. I aim to show that, although other theory might serve some purpose, ecofeminist ethics that are grounded in rigorous, dynamic feminist theory is most promising. ;Contrary to some other theorists, I argue that ecofeminists must take seriously the fact that ecofeminism emerged from radical feminism, and that if ecofeminism is to be the foundation of a viable ethical theory it must maintain and strengthen its connection to social and ecological activism. I also explore how ecofeminist ethical theory and activism that is rooted in feminist theory and activism calls into question assumptions about the role of ethical theory and ethical theorists. ;With Martha Nussbaum's claim that certain reflections on human life are best expressed through literature and poetry as a backdrop, I illustrate several important aspects of ecofeminist ethics through a discussion of Susan Griffin's Woman and Nature. Finally, I compare ecofeminism to Deep Ecology, a radical ecological movement, and show the superiority of ecofeminism's approach to questions about human population