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Homicideandaggressioninthehistoryofmankind
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created,itwasunthinkabletoelevateafemaletosuchanelevatedposition,she
wasdominatedasamaterofcourseandduetohernature,andthefactthatshe
experiencedmenstruation,perceivedasunclean.
Eve’sbehaviourisviewedwithdiverseattitudes.Ananalysisofthebiblical
textrevealstheintellectualcuriosityofhumankind’sFirstMother.Temptedwith
Satan’sreassuring“Yeshallnotsurelydie:ForGoddothknowthatinthedayye
eatthereof,thenyoueyesshallbeopened,andyeshallbeasgods,knowinggood
andevil”,sheevidentlylookedcloselyatwhatshewasbeingoffered,andshe
“sawthatthetreewasgoodforfood,andthatitwaspleasanttotheeyes,and
atreetobedesiredtomakeonewise”(Gen.3,4-6).TheinterpretationoftheTree
ofKnowledge(nottheTreeofLife)thatisgivenbysomephilosophersisquite
striking:“ThefruitoftheTreeofKnowledgeofGoodandEvilisReason,which
sinceitbecamethefoundationofphilosophyforever,deriveseverythingfrom
itself.Godwasexpelledfromtheworldhecreated,andhispowerfellentireinto
thehandsofReason,which,althoughitdidnotcreatetheworld,offeredtohu-
mankindaboundlessabundanceofpreciselythosefruits,againstwhichthecrea-
torhadwarnedthem.ThehumanReason’sdreamsofinfinitesuccessandtri-
umphhavebecometrue”(Shestov1993,p.193).Yetatthebasisofmedieval
rationalisationsforattributingallwickednesstowomenliesadifferent,older
interpretation:itwasanactofdisobediencethatbroughtsinandsufferinginto
theworld.
TheviewsofancientGreekphilosophersrepeatedlyindicatethatfemale
bodywasperceivedasanobstacleinthestrivingforphilosophicalideals.In
BookVofPlato’sdialogueTheRepublic,inthediscussionpertainingtophi-
losopher-kings,womenarementionedasequaltomenascandidatesforthe
ofceoftheguardianofthestate,whichmightsuggestanegalitarianapproach
togenderissues.Yetgenerallyitwasafrmedthatfemalenatureisdifferent
from,andinferiorto,themaleone,thatinalltheirendeavourswomenare
weakerthanmen,andthatfemalesoulsarelessperfect,because,beingcloser
tothebody,theyarenotas“pure”asmalesouls.Itwasafrmedthatinthesoul
ofatypicalwoman,thesensualsphere,thatisthemostbaseone,isdominant;
byandlarge,thathumannatureisofatwofoldkind,andthatthebetterkindis
assignedtothemale(Tatarkiewicz1970,s.79).Aristotlewasabsolutelycon-
vincedthatthemaleisbynaturesuperiortothefemale,andassuchheshould
bethesovereign,whileawoman’snaturaldutyistosubmittohermaster
(Tatarkiewicz1970).
Accordingtotheancients,achildwasconceivedoutofthespiritofitsfather,
andonlyfedonthebloodofthemother;awoman,duetoherinnatesexuality,
wasseenastheembodimentoflasciviousnessandSatan’sfavouriteagent.Thus,