{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/118992"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/118992","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Gender Terms and Normative Significance","abstract":"In this paper I will address a puzzle about normative significance of gender terms. On the one hand, gender is tied to many normative judgments, and questions about gender make a difference in what one should do. On the other hand, everyday use of gender terms is in flux, and there is not a consensus among language speakers about their meaning. So, questions involving gender terms are in an important sense verbal and, thus, insubstantial. If there are multiple interpretations of a gender term, questions involving them would merely leave us in a dilemma and answering them cannot provide normative guidance. After exploring the puzzle that arises from this tension, I will discuss two possible solutions to it.","abstract_html":"In this paper I will address a puzzle about normative significance of gender terms. On the one hand, gender is tied to many normative judgments, and questions about gender make a difference in what one should do. On the other hand, everyday use of gender terms is in flux, and there is not a consensus among language speakers about their meaning. So, questions involving gender terms are in an important sense verbal and, thus, insubstantial. If there are multiple interpretations of a gender term, questions involving them would merely leave us in a dilemma and answering them cannot provide normative guidance. After exploring the puzzle that arises from this tension, I will discuss two possible solutions to it.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Adine, Soheil"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Philosophy","degree_department":"Philosophy","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Hoek, Daniel"],"committee_members":["Sud, Rohan","Corredor, Mercedes Maria"],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-05-15","date_published":"2024-05-15","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:18Z","subjects":["Gender","Verbal Disputes","Normative Significance","Choice Situations"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:40273"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:40273","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/118992","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Hoek, Daniel"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Sud, Rohan","Corredor, Mercedes Maria"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Philosophy"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Adine, Soheil"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2024-05-16T08:00:46Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-05-16T08:00:46Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2024-05-15"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Gender","Verbal Disputes","Normative Significance","Choice Situations"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:40273"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/118992"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In this paper I will address a puzzle about normative significance of gender terms. On the one hand, gender is tied to many normative judgments, and questions about gender make a difference in what one should do. On the other hand, everyday use of gender terms is in flux, and there is not a consensus among language speakers about their meaning. So, questions involving gender terms are in an important sense verbal and, thus, insubstantial. If there are multiple interpretations of a gender term, questions involving them would merely leave us in a dilemma and answering them cannot provide normative guidance. After exploring the puzzle that arises from this tension, I will discuss two possible solutions to it."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["Gender is a normative notion: Questions involving gender terms, such as \"woman\", guide one's actions and influence decision-making in everyday life situations. However, gender terms can carry multiple meanings in different contexts. This feature of these terms would make questions about them particularly hard to answer: There are situations where two opposing answers to the question are equally permissible. But that raises a tension: How can a question that does not have a unique answer make a difference in what should be done in any situation? In this paper I will address a puzzle that arises from this tension and will discuss two potential solutions."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Gender Terms and Normative Significance"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Hoek, Daniel"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Sud, Rohan","Corredor, Mercedes Maria"],"dc:contributor.department":["Philosophy"],"dc:creator":["Adine, Soheil"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2024-05-16T08:00:46Z"],"dc:date.available":["2024-05-16T08:00:46Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2024-05-15"],"dc:description.abstract":["In this paper I will address a puzzle about normative significance of gender terms. On the one hand, gender is tied to many normative judgments, and questions about gender make a difference in what one should do. On the other hand, everyday use of gender terms is in flux, and there is not a consensus among language speakers about their meaning. So, questions involving gender terms are in an important sense verbal and, thus, insubstantial. If there are multiple interpretations of a gender term, questions involving them would merely leave us in a dilemma and answering them cannot provide normative guidance. After exploring the puzzle that arises from this tension, I will discuss two possible solutions to it."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["Gender is a normative notion: Questions involving gender terms, such as \"woman\", guide one's actions and influence decision-making in everyday life situations. However, gender terms can carry multiple meanings in different contexts. This feature of these terms would make questions about them particularly hard to answer: There are situations where two opposing answers to the question are equally permissible. But that raises a tension: How can a question that does not have a unique answer make a difference in what should be done in any situation? In this paper I will address a puzzle that arises from this tension and will discuss two potential solutions."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Arts"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:40273"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/118992"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Gender","Verbal Disputes","Normative Significance","Choice Situations"],"dc:title":["Gender Terms and Normative Significance"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Philosophy"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:18Z"}