Brilliant, accessible, and very topical
In Down Girl, Kate Manne presents astonishingly novel and sophisticated moral theory--exciting if disturbing in its own right--all without ever leaving the real world. She offers the wider public a rare philosophic work which sacrifices neither accessibility nor nuance in exploring a topic which no book of philosophy has ever addressed, yet which impacts everyone. She presents brilliant and totally new ideas that may just revolutionize moral philosophy, and she does it all in plain English. The book is certainly not easy to read, but if you give it some time and effort, you will be more than rewarded.
The book's subject--the nature, character, function, and internal logic of misogyny--may be something you don't feel needs further explanation, least of all by a philosopher. Why bother analyzing the concept of misogyny, which is merely a label we use to describe things in the world? If there is misogyny in the world, then we ought to examine the world itself, not our concepts. Manne's work, however, represents a shining example of the power of concepts to illuminate the world anew.
By embedding her writing in the real world, Manne demonstrates the importance and timeliness of her work. Throughout the book, she delves deeply into world events, the 2016 U.S. elections playing a starring role. These events have perplexed many, sometimes even years after they've occurred; and it's these events that reveal the need for a careful evaluation of exactly what is misogyny. If, like me, you've found yourself disturbed by, yet persistently unable to explain moments when men attacked women and got away with it, you may appreciate the explanatory power of Manne's exploration of misogyny. The world, you may say, needs investigating; but Manne shows that by interrogating our concepts, we can then turn back to the world with new power and insight, a new lens, and thus a new way to understand what we see.
The book is ambitious, terrifying, and exciting, and it may change the way you see the world around you.
