Do Feminist Standpoint Epistemologies of the Sciences Answer the Charge of Essentialism?

This paper has a two-fold goal: we wish to stress not only some general merits of feminist standpoint epistemologies of the sciences, but also the intrinsic flaws within the very notion of standpoint. Feminist standpoint epistemologists face a dilemma: if they hold the epistemic privilege or advantage of the women’s standpoint, they need to ground it in some biological or social facts, and thus embrace essentialism. Alternatively, all standpoints must be considered equally privileged or advantaged. We believe that neither option is valuable and that no feminist standpoint epistemology of sciences can be endorsed.