DQ1

What role does justice play in post-colonial philosophy? Why was an education in philosophy
important for post-colonial thinkers? How did financial considerations and the international
market affect the precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial world's experiences with justice and
injustice?

Post-colonial philosophy came about as a defense to the fact that some groups of
people were denied the proper social rights, and the need to educate people
about injustice. Post colonial thinkers believed that studying philosophy was important in the
pursuit of justice because they felt that a direct appeals approach brought about little change. Through
philosophical education, post-colonial thinkers were able to become aware of their
country's problems and injustices. Philosophical education promoted the self-
awareness and consciousness-raising necessary to overcome colonialism and promote true justice.
Because some countries are unable to provide the proper education, many people still remain poor
and unfairly treated. The international markets and financial economics affected
the injustices of the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial world in the same
ways as today. The way you are treated depends on the dictator you're under.
Some countries suffer because of dictators who do not allow their people to have
good standards of living. Depending on which country, poor people may not be
allowed to receive education while rich people are able to be educated.

DQ2
How did Mary Wollstonecraft affect first-wave feminism? How did
Simone de Beauvoir's writing shape the second wave? How did the
events of the first and second wave affect each other?

Mary Wollstonecraft had a tremendous impact on the first wave of the feminism movement. She went
against the traditional beliefs which felt that women should only be educated for the pleasure of a man.
She theorized that if a man were to spend his time in a relationship with a submissive woman,
regardless of how submissive and attractive she might be, he would eventually grow bored and venture
off elsewhere. Boredom would lead to the man looking elsewhere for someone more stimulating than
the current wife. She also believed that there was no reason women could not attain the virtues of
wisdom and rationality the same as a man. She felt that the desired virtues of a women being; docility,
dependence, sensitivity, and nurturing were commonly associated with what was looked at as
weakness. Simone de Beauvoir wrote the book The Second Sex. The book included two main ideas
which were that man, who views himself as the essential being, has made woman into the inessential
being, "the Other," and that femininity as a trait is an artificial posture. She emphasized the fact that
throughout history women have been relegated to a sphere of “immanence,” and the passive acceptance
of roles assigned to them by society. The first wave of the feminism movement was geared toward
women rights, education, and human rights whereas the second wave was geared towards how women
are viewed and valued by men.