Content area
Abstract
In employing the Sartrean concept of a serial collectivity, Young not only discloses a solution to dilemma in feminism, but also contributes illuminating theoretical tools to the general theory of social groups and collectives. [...]her discussion of a recognized feminist concern can serve a broader audience among socio-political philosophers. The idea of an impartial citizen engaged in rational discourse about common values is no more an acceptable presumption of democratic theory than is the idea of a self-interested individual who can only communicate with others to the extent that they fortuitously share ends. Among the subjects Young addresses are the comparative virtues of therapeutic and punitive treatment of pregnant addicts, the ideological weight of marriage in policy decisions about the legal status of so-called non-traditional family 574 BOOK REVIEW structures, and the substantive shortcomings of formalist conceptions of autonomy, responsibility, moral worth, and equality. While the style of expression may not be as accessible to non-philosophical readers as the book jacket suggests, any person interested in matters of justice, agency, and feminist political theory can benefit from reading it.