Lori Watson is a contemporary analytic philosopher working primarily in feminist political philosophy and ethics. She is known for her rigorous engagement with questions of sex work, pornography, equality, and the conditions under which women exercise genuine autonomy. Her work challenges liberal frameworks that abstract away from material and social obstacles facing women.
Co-authored 'Debating Sex Work' (2020) with Jessica Flanigan, offering a sustained feminist abolitionist argument against prostitution
Developed feminist critiques of pornography grounded in harm, subordination, and speech act theory
Advanced arguments that philosophical theorizing about women must be grounded in the actual social conditions and obstacles women face
Contributed to feminist political philosophy on autonomy, consent, and structural inequality
Applied analytic rigor to sex-equality debates within liberal and radical feminist traditions