MORALIZED OBJECTIFICATION: MISOGYNY , REACTIVE ATTITUDES, AND THE SPECTRUM OF AGENCY RECOGNITION

Abstract

This thesis critiques and amends an account of misogyny by examining the relationship between objectification and moral recognition. Recent philosophical discussions, particularly in the work of Kate Manne, argue that misogyny should be understood primarily as a system of social control rather than as a form of dehumanization or objectification. While this approach successfully challenges overly simplistic accounts of misogyny, it risks overlooking ways in which failures of moral recognition remain central to misogynistic practices. Drawing on P. F. Strawson’s theory of reactive attitudes, this thesis proposes a spectrum model of agency recognition that captures the gradations through which individuals may be partially acknowledged as moral agents while still being treated in objectifying or oppressive ways.

The project first examines the conceptual limitations of strictly anti-humanist approaches to misogyny. It then develops a revised framework that situates objectification within a broader spectrum of moral recognition, allowing for forms of partial recognition that coexist with domination, control, or degradation. This framework is applied to several cases—including mass sexual violence, pornography, and testimonial injustice—to demonstrate how misogynistic practices can involve both moral recognition and its distortion. By conceptualizing misogyny through a spectrum of agency recognition rather than a binary opposition between recognition and dehumanization, the thesis provides a more nuanced account of how misogynistic attitudes operate and why they remain socially resilient.