Mary Daly Obituary, Death – Mary Daly, who is regarded as the first feminist philosopher, has away at the age of 81. She was known for her use of language, wit, and passion in her fight against patriarchy and religion. She referred to herself as a foul hag as well as a pirate (“almost everything has been stolen from us by the patriarchy, and we need to steal it back”). Daly pondered the reasons behind the preponderance of male dominance and pondered whether or not God is a male.
Her most well-known piece of work is the book Gyn/Ecology, which was published in 1978. In it, she exposes various forms of sexual and cultural violence against women, including as female genital mutilation, foot binding, and witchhunts. In an attempt to make fun of patriarchal language, she refers to the therapist as “the-rapist” in Gyn/Ecology. Because she believed that words had the power to combat injustice, she published eight volumes, one of which was a collaboration with Jane Caputi titled Webster’s First New Intergalactic Wickedary of the English Language.
Schenectady-born Daly was an only kid born to Irish Catholic parents who were of the working class. In spite of the fact that she detests the Bible, her mother and her pursuit of further education led her to the study of theology. In 1953, she was awarded her first Doctor of Philosophy degree in religious studies from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. She received her additional doctorates in theology and philosophy after relocating to Switzerland. At the time, no institutions in the United States permitted women to major in theology.
In 1966, Daly was employed by the Jesuits who ran the theology department at Boston College. Three years after the publication of her first book, which uncovered misogyny in the Catholic church and was titled “The Church and the Second Sex,” she engaged in a battle with the conservative administration of her college. After attempts were made to terminate her, 1,500 male students staged a protest that lasted for four months, resulting in Daly being allowed to keep her job. Later on, she referred to a few of her employees as “bore-ocrats” and “academentia.”
Her feminist ethics class did not allow male students in 1998, which sparked a heated debate. The university was confronted with the possibility of being taken to court for violating anti-discrimination statutes. Two years later, the parties negotiated a settlement that was amicable, but Daly claimed that she was forced out of the job.
