Description
"How gender is thought of and lived is currently undergoing fundamental changes. This book argues that these changes are best understood as an effect of a shift in human "identity technology": we are less interested in authenticity, a sense of self shaped by the pursuit of originality, and more concerned with an external sense of self, where we become who we are through political identity and social-media validation feedback loops. In no area is this more socially and existentially fraught than that of gender. Which Self, Which Sex? attempts to examine gender philosophically through a Daoist lens. What is at stake when we talk about gender, and why does it matter to us? The aim is not to establish definitively what gender is or how exactly one ought to identify oneself or others in terms of it but rather to become more at ease, on an existential level, with the sense of gender identity itself. Perhaps philosophy can be a means to become both more critical and more relaxed about its role in our lives as well as those of others. The basic argument informing this book is that identity-the sense of self that we have and that we ascribe to others-is shaped by different "identity technologies," including sincerity (commitment to roles), authenticity (the pursuit of originality), and mediation (the curation of social profiles). In most parts of the world traditional gender roles have been replaced with social identities, yet we retain a deep commitment to authenticity, assuming that our gender identity reflects our true self. This unfulfillable expectation leads to political, philosophical, and personal quandaries, which just might disappear if we accept that gender identity, in all its varieties, is "genuinely pretended"--the Daoist skill of thriving by enacting social roles without submitting to them. While a sense of self, whic necessarily h includes gender, is essential to our ability to function in society, we can learn to be comfortable with it in the midst of all the incongruities and contingencies of life"-- Provided by publisher.
