Die Spannung zwischen Religion und Moderne am Denkort von „Geschlecht“. Ein philosophischer Klärungsversuch

Abstract

Thep aper analyzes the current controversy on "gender" in light of the overall tension betweent he Catholic Church and modernity.E xamining claims,b acked by the magisterium, that any use of the concept of "gender" is incompatible with Christianteachings, and -onthe other hand -theories representing the maintargets of this critique,the paper exposestheoretical shortcomings on both sides:W hilethe sweeping rejection of "genderism"i sb ased on an aturalistic fallacy,a no verdrawnc onstructivismf ails to acknowledge the complex interrelation of the biology of human bodies and social perceptions.Referring to core conceptions of Kantsmoral philosophy, such as "person"and "dignity", the paper suggests amore nuanced approach. It further argues that, ratherthan sweepingly rejecting the legal principle of "gender mainstreaming",the Church needs to focus more carefully on the discrimination of women in the public sphere.