Mary Ann Trotter Sellars

The subject of this dissertation is one that is central to many current philosophical debates in ecological thought: the character of the relationship of nature to human culture. I will engage that debate on a somewhat more specific level by focusing on the debate within ecological feminism, often called ecofeminism, concerning the identification of women with nature and men with culture. The difficulties inherent of either accepting or denying these identifications will be traced through the various perspectives of ecofeminist thought. ;My approach embraces the lived experience that is part of the growing, dynamic, and changing dialogue of the Lao Tzu. The Lao Tzu offers a different approach for ecofeminists who have been afflicted by the problem of defining a stable "truth" that has plagued and continues to plague European philosophical discourse. The focus of the Lao Tzu is not to offer true/false propositions or conclusions that are somehow "written in stone." Rather than proving the absurdity of other positions, or labeling opponents as superior or inferior, the Lao Tzu offers an avenue for all the various contending voices to be heard in a constructive manner. ;Within the living discourse of the Lao Tzu, the process of exploration is on-going, without conclusions, never reaching a point of absolute truths, or certainty. The learning, growing, and expanding dialogue that is taught by the Lao Tzu, offers ecofeminists the opportunity to explore and experiment with living language, seeing words, and hearing pictures