▁responsibility ▁which ▁dem ands ▁the ▁full ▁trans par ency ▁of ▁the ▁self ▁to ▁itself , ▁an ▁entirely ▁account able ▁self , ▁necessarily ▁does ▁violence ▁to ▁the ▁opacity ▁which ▁marks ▁the ▁constitution ▁of ▁the ▁self ▁it ▁addresses . ▁The ▁scene ▁of ▁address ▁by ▁which ▁responsibility ▁is ▁enabled ▁is ▁always ▁already ▁a ▁relation ▁between ▁subjects ▁who ▁are ▁vari ably ▁op aque ▁to ▁themselves ▁and ▁to ▁each ▁other . ▁The ▁eth ics ▁that ▁Butler ▁en vis ions ▁is ▁therefore ▁one ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁responsible ▁self ▁knows ▁the ▁limits ▁of ▁its ▁knowing , ▁recogn izes ▁the ▁limits ▁of ▁its ▁capacity ▁to ▁give ▁an ▁account ▁of ▁itself ▁to ▁others , ▁and ▁respect s ▁those ▁limits ▁as ▁sympt om atically ▁human . ▁To ▁take ▁seriously ▁one ' s ▁opacity ▁to ▁ones elf ▁in ▁eth ical ▁deliber ation ▁means ▁then ▁to ▁crit ically ▁inter rog ate ▁the ▁social ▁world ▁in ▁which ▁one ▁comes ▁to ▁be ▁human ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁place ▁and ▁which ▁remains ▁precisely ▁that ▁which ▁one ▁cannot ▁know ▁about ▁ones elf . ▁In ▁this ▁way , ▁Butler ▁loc ates ▁social ▁and ▁political ▁critique ▁at ▁the ▁core ▁of ▁eth ical ▁practice . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁ ▁Butler ' s ▁work ▁has ▁been ▁influ ential ▁in ▁femin ist ▁and ▁que er ▁theory , ▁cultural ▁studies , ▁and ▁contin ental ▁philosophy . ▁Yet ▁her ▁contribution ▁to ▁a ▁range ▁of ▁other ▁discipl ines — such ▁as ▁ps y cho analysis , ▁literary , ▁film , ▁and ▁performance ▁studies ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁visual ▁arts — has ▁also ▁been ▁significant . ▁Her ▁theory ▁of ▁gender