Nobody Is Autonomous

We need to get better at asking for help.

So argues author Leah Libresco Sargeant in her new book, The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto. The core thesis of the book is that “women’s equality with men doesn’t depend on their interchangeability with men.” But the book also has many insights that apply to men as well as women. All of us need to get better at asking for help.

Hosting this episode are Shadi Hamid and Christine Emba, who each bring their political perspectives to bear upon the conversation. Christine asks Leah whether the physical differences between the sexes affect the scope of political equality. Shadi asks whether Leah’s practical proposals, which are rooted in her religious convictions, are feasible in a contemporary society formed by modern ideas. The conversation also touches upon the limits of personal autonomy, as well as the recent discussions about the so-called “feminization” of the workplace.

In our bonus section for paid subscribers, Leah discusses her conversion to Catholicism from atheism; whether or not religion factors into her thinking about the morality of abortion; different strategies for asking for help; why it’s better to ask for help first before you offer help to someone else; and more!

Required Reading:

* Leah Libresco Sargeant, The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto (Amazon).

* Leah Libresco Sargeant’s Substack, Other Feminisms.

* Leah Libresco Sargeant, Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three Together in His Name (Amazon).

* Christine, Rethinking Sex: A Provocation (Amazon).

* Shadi and Kristina Tabor Saccone, “Provocation: Am I Unhappy Because I’m Unmarried?” (WoC).

* Helen Andrews, “The Great Feminization” (Compact).

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