Martha Nussbaum

Philosopher

1947-05-06

Martha Nussbaum is an American philosopher known for work in ethics, political philosophy, and capabilities theory. Her scholarship bridges philosophy, law, and classical studies.

Quotes by Martha Nussbaum

There is danger in speaking so generally about liberalism, a danger that has often plagued feminist debates. Liberalism is not a single position but a family of positions; Kantian liberalism is profoundly different from classical Utilitarian liberalism, and both of these from the Utilitarianism currently dominant in neoclassical economics.
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There is danger in speaking so generally about liberalism, a danger that has often plagued feminist debates. Liberalism is not a single position but a family of positions; Kantian liberalism is profoundly different from classical Utilitarian liberalism, and both of these from the Utilitarianism currently dominant in neoclassical economics.
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Every single university student should study philosophy. You need to lead the examined life and question your beliefs. If you don't learn critical thinking, then political debate degenerates into a contest of slogans.
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Fear is ubiquitous in human life. It starts in infancy with our primal state of helplessness, where we can see what's going on but we can't move to get it. As we grow older we become a little more able to get what we want but then we're going to die so that gives fear another boost.
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Courses in the humanities, in particular, often seem impractical, but they are vital, because they stretch your imagination and challenge your mind to become more responsive, more critical, bigger.
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I think Americans did learn that you just are not going to be able to live well if you subordinate people on the grounds of their religion.
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This is true across every single society; we project grossness onto a racial or gender subgroup or caste. A big part of social subordination and discrimination is to ascribe hyper-animality to other groups and use that as an excuse for subordinating them further.
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This is my Achilles heel. If some Internet technician is on the phone with me and he's being irrational and incompetent and stupid, I get really mad and I can sort of feel my blood pressure going up.
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On the whole, the accommodationist position has been dominant in U.S. law and public culture ? ever since George Washington wrote a famous letter to the Quakers explaining that he would not require them to serve in the military because the 'conscientious scruples of all men' deserve the greatest 'delicacy and tenderness.'
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Envy, propelled by fear, can be even more toxic than anger, because it involves the thought that other people enjoy the good things of life which the envier can't hope to attain through hard work and emulation.
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To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the world, the ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control that can lead you to be shattered.
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Clothing that covers the body can be comfortable or uncomfortable, depending on the fabric. In India I typically wear a full salwaar kameez of cotton, because it is superbly comfortable, and full covering keeps dust off one's limbs and at least diminishes the risk of skin cancer.
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Every time I undress in the locker room of my gym, I see women bearing the scars of liposuction, tummy tucks, breast implants.
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Among the good and decent men, some are unprepared for the surprises of life, and their good intentions run aground when confronted with issues like child care.
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I wake up at night thinking about Euripides' 'Hecuba.' That to me is a story that says so much about what it is to be a human being in the middle of a world of unreliable things and people.
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Emotions aren't just mindless urges; they contain thoughts about matters of importance.
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Knowledge is not a guarantee of good political behavior, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behavior.
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Men are angry at women because they aren't doing what they are supposed to do, which is support men. They are in the workplace claiming their own rights and often outdoing men. They are daring to bring charges of sexual assault and harassment. They are just not behaving themselves!
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Some emotions are essential to law and to public principles of justice: anger at wrongdoing, fear for our safety, compassion for the pain of others, all these are good reasons to make laws that protect people in their rights.
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