Utilitarian ethics under a feminine lens: Graciela Hierro Perezcastro

Abstract

Graciela Hierro Perezcastro defended her doctoral thesis titled «Utilitarianism and the Feminine Condition» at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in 1982. A few years later, in 1985, her thesis was published as «Ethics and Feminism». In this work, she lays the foundation of a feminist ethics of interest that arises from an understanding of the oppressive conditions that women experience. The ultimate purpose of her research is to promote a «cultural revolution of everyday life» by universalizing feminine values such as softness, tenderness, and a sense of community.

Critiques of utilitarianism have been raised by various ethical positions in central countries. These include formal, procedural, contractualist, and communitarian ethics. However, critiques of utilitarianism have also emerged from Latin America. For instance, Enrique Dussel has raised observations from the perspective of liberation ethics. In this paper, we explore how Graciela Hierro’s reflection contributes to reconciling a consequentialist ethics of interest with an ethics that upholds care, solidarity, and a sense of community as a priori universal values. Is it possible to combine consequentialism with a universalization criterion that a priori grounds moral obligation? What twist does Graciela Hierro accomplish in the line of argument of utilitarianism by introducing a feminist perspective?

Our paper is structured into three parts. First, we discuss the theoretical framework that underlies the development of a feminist ethics of interest, as proposed by Graciela Hierro Perezcastro. Next, we examine the most significant criticisms of utilitarianism as a moral and political doctrine. Finally, we review the dialectical approach introduced by Hierro to bring together an ethics of interest with an ethics of community care.