Philosophy Now Forum

Mary Daly is a world-renowned Radical Feminist philosopher, theologian and author.

http://philosophynow.org/issues/33/Mary_Daly

tbieter

Post subject: Re: Mary Daly has died
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 2:52 pm

Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:45 pm
Posts: 1555
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

I used to read the Minnesota Women's Press weekly newspaper. http://www.womenspress.com/ It was free and available at a coffee shop that I used to frequent.

One time the newspaper published an interview with Mary Daly. (I was aware of Daly. My best feminist friend insisted that I read one of her books and discuss it with her. I did. I thought the book was provocative and worth reading)

Anyway, regarding the interview, Daly had just published a book. She dedicated the book to her cat. And in the interview, Daly actually claimed that her cat had written the first third of the book. During the interview Daly was simply weird in her responses to the questions to the extent that I wondered if Daly was mentally ill.

At the time, I was acquainted with Peter Kreeft, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kreeft , a colleague of Daly's in the philosophy department at Boston College. . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Daly I decided to send a copy of the newspaper interview to Kreeft accompanied by a letter asking some questions. I suggested that Daly was obviously a man-hating lesbian, so I wondered if the male philosophers in the department could even communicate with her on philosophical subjects. I had a list of questions that he subsequently answered. When I mentioned in my letter that my son was in college and that I certainly would not allow him to take a course from Daly, Kreeft responded "I would hope not."

To my question about possible mental illness, Kreeft said that he and Paul Vitz, http://psych.nyu.edu/vitz/
had actually talked about that question and that they thought that she probably was ill. I have read many interviews with authors and academics during my life, and this was the only one where at the conclusion I wondered if the interviewee was mentally ill.

Boston College should be commended for providing Daly with employment all those years. Hopefully, her teaching didn't screw up too many female students. Daly was one dimensional. She was more a man-hating feminist idealogue, than a philosopher. Her bibliography testifies to that.

Soon she will be mentioned during discussions of the alleged "patriarchy" only in women's studies courses (where she properly belongs).
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3582&hilit=mary+

Mainstream theologian dislikes radical theologian. News just in...dog bites man.

The most disturbing thing about all of this is that a tenured academic thought it appropriate to offer derogatory views on a former colleague to someone who wrote him a letter. That the colleague in question is no longer able to defend themselves makes this even more sordid.

Female students are not so easily screwed up, Tom. They can think for themselves.
If a men-hating lesbian tells them something outrageous they will not follow suit without thinking about it.

It would be interesting to know why she hated men if she really did.

In the novel "Happyland" by Robert Lennon there is a terrible woman giving a lecture in a female college about sexual matters and how many of the girls are really impressed by it ?

We all have a tendency to contradict our parents and teachers. Why should we be influenced by college professors ?

If they are extreme they can have the opposite effect and immunize us.

I would go first to this controversial woman and judge for myself.
And this young man should have gone too.
He missed something.

duszek wrote:Female students are not so easily screwed up, Tom. They can think for themselves.
If a men-hating lesbian tells them something outrageous they will not follow suit without thinking about it.

It would be interesting to know why she hated men if she really did.

In the novel "Happyland" by Robert Lennon there is a terrible woman giving a lecture in a female college about sexual matters and how many of the girls are really impressed by it ?

We all have a tendency to contradict our parents and teachers. Why should we be influenced by college professors ?

If they are extreme they can have the opposite effect and immunize us.

I would go first to this controversial woman and judge for myself.
And this young man should have gone too.
He missed something.

I took several courses from Marxist Professor Richard Hudelson, http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Hudelson/e/B001HPU65G

I distinctly remember him telling me that when he was in college one professor influenced him into ultimately subscribing to Marxism as his world view.

The fall of communism in the Soviet Union was a traumatic event for Marxists. I remember a phone call at the time from Richard. He wanted to know about Catholic social teaching on labor. He said that he had heard the the teaching was midway between socialism and capitalism. I suggest that he start with Rerum Novarum and then sample Chesterton's Distributism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rerum_Novarum

In my many discussions, in class and socially, with Richard I remember reaching the conclusion that his exposure to Marxism in college by that professor established constraints on his philosophical interests and thought. His thought was constrained my Marxist parameters. His bibliography suggests his narrow interest.

tbeiter wrote:

I suggested that Daly was obviously a man-hating lesbian, so I wondered if the male philosophers in the department could even communicate with her on philosophical subjects.

and you sir, are a mysogynist.

duszek wrote: If a men-hating lesbian tells them something outrageous they will not follow suit without thinking about it.

what the fuck is it with guys going on about man hating lesbians

i know lesbians who think that most guys are dickheads

but their dislike for guys is nothing compared with the misogyny that is common among men

an average drunken jock could teach adrea dworkin herself a lesson or two in hating the opposite sex