Philosophical Opinion on the Differences Between Women and Men Essay Example
Man and woman are naturally two very different genders. Their differences range from their physique to their mental makeup. Some scholars have however come up with the notion that the mentally, human beings are partly male and partly female. Most philosophers, however, insist that God created us as male or female, as a reflection of his Trinity nature. Women and men are essentially different, but still considered equal since they were both in God’s image.
Cloutier uses a theory from one of Plato's dialogues to explain the concept of gender difference and complementarity. According to Plato's discussions of love, the original creation of human beings was as both man and woman in the same body and flesh, with four arms and four legs, and faces in both directions. When the large, powerful creatures sought to assault the gods, Zeus cut them in half
...(Cloutier 15). This theory is an explanation why human beings are always looking for their ‘other half', to complement and complete them. Cloutier’s book brings out the man and woman as two separate beings that are not complete without each other. Cloutier also recognizes the idea of gender as a real factor in the society. Man and woman are naturally different creatures.
The three theologians, according to Sutton's discussion take into consideration the creation stories as the actual account of how the gender difference came into existence. According to the creation stories, God created man, and afterward, created woman from man’s ribs, for man’s companionship. Cloutier's theory of gender difference is both similar and different with the philosophers' views of the same. Barth asserts that God created human beings as either male or female
whereas Cloutier's views back up the Jungian notion that the mental make-up of a person constitutes both male and female attributes. One thing they agree on is that man and woman are complementary, that they were created for each other’s companionship, and are an accurate reflection of the Trinity nature of God.
Man and woman are complementary in all spheres of life. The existence of man and woman is not primarily for procreation, but also for companionship, for love, like that that reflects Christ and the church. In all spheres of life man and woman are mutually oriented towards one another. Sutton's discussion of the theology of Karl Barth, John Paul II, and Balthasar reveals that the three theologians saw the creation of man and woman as a representation of their relational nature in God's image. Balthasar points out that the existence of man and woman is a symbol of the relationship between humankind and God.
According to the theologians, the notion that a man and a woman join and become one in marriage, but also maintain their individualism, just like God is one, however, made up of three distinct persons. Marriage according to Ephesians 5 is a reflection of the Trinitarian life of God and also Christ's relationship with the church.
While there might be disagreements between Sutton's and Cloutier's discussion of gender difference, both arguments agree that certain differences exist between the two genders, no gender is superior to the other, and man and woman are complementary to one another. Another thing they agree on is that on a Trinitarian understanding, the relationship between man and woman reflects the Trinity nature of God.
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