Female Sexual Desires and the Epistemology of Ignorance

Explain in your own words what the phrase “the epistemology of ignorance” means and, as best you can, draw from your own experience or other anecdotes to provide an example that can help explain the idea.

Epistemology of ignorance defines what information is important and worth knowing (based on varying interests, typically stemming from the “dominant” group).

Tuana briefly mentions female ejaculation as a widely ignored subject (6). Female ejaculation is not only disregard from the scientific discourse but also from the public discourse.  It is important to highlight that female ejaculation falls under the broader subject of female sexual desires. Female sexual desires are disregard in both the public and the private sphere.  

One of the first philosophers to address female sexual desires was Michel de Montaigne in the late 1500s. He wrote an essay entitled “Upon Some Verses of Virgil” that puts into question female desires (through marriage, love and physical appearance) that are commonly centralized around a male figure. He acknowledges that female desires are based in male desires. However, he argues that females possess an overall consciousness with regard to their personal desires that are hidden from others (314). Montaigne does not believe that these personal female desires should remain inexistent. Rather, he chooses to recognize the public and private ignorance with regard to female desires. Are females ignorant of their desires? If female desires are to remain hidden, females evolve as mechanical representations of male desires.

Another example of the ignorance revolving around female desires is within the pornography industry. The pornography industry examines male desires over female desires. It also believes that sex is more important to males than to females. Erika Lust, an indie porn producer, chose to create a shift in the porn industry by focusing on the desires of women. 

I think that by re positioning the way in which we understand female sexual desires will create somewhat of a sexual liberation movement ( different than the movement in the 1960s).