Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

women philosophers


SpiritWriter

Recommended Posts

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_philosophers

I was thinking to myself philosophy has a shortage of feminine points of view but I see Wikipedia has an extensive list of women philosophers.

Are you familiar with any of these? If so what do you like and/or dislike about thier philosophies? I want to read something new that I haven't been exposed to before and I want it to be by a woman. I haven't read anything from Theresa Avila yet.. she will be my next target author probably. I see her quoted a lot and know she has some extensive writings... but what about some of these listed here... what do you think?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

haven't read anything from Theresa Avila yet.. she will be my next target author probably. I see her quoted a lot and know she has some extensive writings... but what about some of these listed here... what do you think?

Some are familiar to me, but you are right, female philosophers are uncommon, especially in the ancient world. Hypatia of Alexandria is on the list I see. She's become the poster-child for militant atheists because she died at the hands of a Christian mob. I just searched and found the movie Agora online. I'm not sure if it's um, legal, if not I assume a mod can delete the link. Anyways, I enjoyed the movie. You can stream it or download it.

p.s. Theresa of Avila, um, make that Saint Theresa is one of several "philosophers" on that wiki page you have. There's a couple more Roman Catholic mystics and Saints on that page. Yes, I guess you could call them philosophers, but they really are looking at things through a coloured lens.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some are familiar to me, but you are right, female philosophers are uncommon, especially in the ancient world. Hypatia of Alexandria is on the list I see. She's become the poster-child for militant atheists because she died at the hands of a Christian mob. I just searched and found the movie Agora online. I'm not sure if it's um, legal, if not I assume a mod can delete the link. Anyways, I enjoyed the movie. You can stream it or download it.

p.s. Theresa of Avila, um, make that Saint Theresa is one of several "philosophers" on that wiki page you have. There's a couple more Roman Catholic mystics and Saints on that page. Yes, I guess you could call them philosophers, but they really are looking at things through a coloured lens.

Colored lens like how?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

St Teresa of Avila reformed the Carmelite nuns .

She petitioned the present popes for years . She wrote a lot. She was from Spain ,during years of Spanish upheaval ,which led to some of her convictions .

She was more analytical than most ,and not all that mystical .

Do not confuse her with St Therese of Lisieux ,who is considered the mystical one.

She was French .

She's called St Therese of the Little Flower,because her novena involves roses.

She's depicted holding roses,while St Teresa of Avila is seen holding a feather pen .

They were both Carmelite nuns,but Therese entered the fold centuries after Teresa's reformation .

I know a bit about saints,especially the Thereses .

Of the rest ,I'm only familiar with Hypatia . Never read any of her works though

Edited by Simbi Laveau
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

St Teresa of Avila reformed the Carmelite nuns .She was more analytical than most ,and not all that mystical .

Do not confuse her with St Therese of Lisieux ,who is considered the mystical one.

Ah yes, my mistake, I was thinking of the "Little flower". Anyways, that list includes Saint Hildegard, Saint Teresia Benedicta of the Cross (aka Edith Stein), and various Catholic nuns. I would hazard a guess that any philosophy they undertook would have to fall in line with Roman Catholic orthodoxy. So, not exactly free thinkers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lot's of people liken women sarcastically to be the same as effete rich men, whom are nutritionally qualified to provide children through their seed. People scoff their resentment over the issue by referring to them as "women".

"The Devils" was a really horrible movie on the subject. All but the extreme-poor in the 1st world can afford to eat like kings, these days, so the issue is kind of tired.

But honestly, misogyny was historically very much about that. We're just still dealing with the legacy of it. More girl-philosophers would make me jump for joy! Not like nietzsche -- he hated women and jews, and he was never sarcastic about it.

The real tragedy is that science has moved us so far passed this kind of thing that women will unlikely ever be able to stamp their thoughts on them with much credibility. http://en.wikipedia....rry_of_Chartres

Like the female teacher from "Bad Teacher" says it: "Chartres (shut) Up"... Watch the film, it's exactly the way the line goes.

Edited by JeremyjJstone
Link to comment
Share on other sites

ah no , not the woman's . dont give them a pen to write , the world ll end ,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Being a man, I don't really know, but it's for sure that there haven't been many prominent female philosophers, not even today when they would be more likely to get a hearing. The same applies to competitive chess, something I've wondered about, not a lot, but I guess a few times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://en.m.wikipedi...le_philosophers

I was thinking to myself philosophy has a shortage of feminine points of view but I see Wikipedia has an extensive list of women philosophers.

Are you familiar with any of these? If so what do you like and/or dislike about thier philosophies? I want to read something new that I haven't been exposed to before and I want it to be by a woman. I haven't read anything from Theresa Avila yet.. she will be my next target author probably. I see her quoted a lot and know she has some extensive writings... but what about some of these listed here... what do you think?

Omg thankyou for shaming me, i didnt realise i was so sexist in my philosophy knoweldge lol

i will favourite this wiki page and inject my philosophy with some oestrogen lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"A woman philosopher, sir, is like a Dog walking on its hind legs. The wonder is not that it is done well, but that it is done at all."

~ Samuel Johnson

(nearly)

Edited by Lord Vetinari
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"A woman philosopher, sir, is like a Dog walking on its hind legs. The wonder is not that it is done well, but that it is done at all."

~ Samuel Johnson

(nearly)

All thats about to change buddy...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"A woman philosopher, sir, is like a Dog walking on its hind legs. The wonder is not that it is done well, but that it is done at all."

~ Samuel Johnson

(nearly)

LMAO

That list is interesting though and I guess I never really thought about whether or not there were female philosophers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had heard of Hypatia as a defender of philosophy against the Christian mob -- who martyred her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some are familiar to me, but you are right, female philosophers are uncommon, especially in the ancient world. Hypatia of Alexandria is on the list I see. She's become the poster-child for militant atheists because she died at the hands of a Christian mob. I just searched and found the movie Agora online. I'm not sure if it's um, legal, if not I assume a mod can delete the link. Anyways, I enjoyed the movie. You can stream it or download it.

p.s. Theresa of Avila, um, make that Saint Theresa is one of several "philosophers" on that wiki page you have. There's a couple more Roman Catholic mystics and Saints on that page. Yes, I guess you could call them philosophers, but they really are looking at things through a coloured lens.

We all look at things through colored lenses my friend, we each have our own perspective, also the culture we grew up in etc. The perspective of many saints if actually followed, at least in how we relate to one another, would probably change the world for the better. I am not just talking about Christians saints either, but mystics from all traditions. I am not sure a purely secular world is possible nor desireable......I just want the two seperated, when governmets and religion get into bed, they have some pretty violent off spring. Off course each does pretty good on their own as well ;-(.

peace

mark

Edited by markdohle
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah yes, my mistake, I was thinking of the "Little flower". Anyways, that list includes Saint Hildegard, Saint Teresia Benedicta of the Cross (aka Edith Stein), and various Catholic nuns. I would hazard a guess that any philosophy they undertook would have to fall in line with Roman Catholic orthodoxy. So, not exactly free thinkers.

I think the term 'free thinker' is misused. It does not mean that people think for themselves, but rather take a certain thread in philosphy and religion that is bit off the beaten path (which in point of fact, is not longer true).....but within that path, they pretty much say the same thing, a lot of good things, in which the more conventional could learn somthing and the opposite is true as well. Any tradition, if truly studied and tried in to be lived in the arena of life will bear the same fruits I believe. A certain amount of trust in ones ability to think for themselves is needed. In both orthodox groups as well as free thinkers, those who think our side the lines are often ignorned, or worse insulted.

peace

Mark

Edited by markdohle
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One way to become a famous philosopher is to come up with something really strange but just credible enough to cause people to pause. Then you get quoted all over the place by those rushing to refute you. Anselm is no doubt the best example of that, but Plato and Pythagoras and Aquinas and Descartes and Spinoza and Leibniz and Hegel and Nietzsche and Freud and Marx and . . ..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A certain amount of trust in ones ability to think for themselves is needed. In both orthodox groups as well as free thinkers, those who think our side the lines are often ignored, or worse insulted.

Yes that's what I meant. Specifically given the context of medieval Europe, where such thinking could get you censored, or executed. This of course was backed up by Catholic philosophy at the time, espoused famously (infamously?) by Saint Thomas Aquinas;

"On the part of the Church, however, there is mercy which looks to the conversion of the wanderer, wherefore she condemns not at once, but "after the first and second admonition," as the Apostle directs: after that, if he is yet stubborn, the Church no longer hoping for his conversion, looks to the salvation of others, by excommunicating him and separating him from the Church, and furthermore delivers him to the secular tribunal to be exterminated thereby from the world by death."

Nice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(Feeling like a little fish here.)

I've only heard of one name on that list: Ayn Rand.

It's been... decades since I've read any of her work.

Anthem

The Fountainhead

Atlas Shrugged

The Virtue Of Selfishness

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

In fact I never thought of it but I guess she was a philosopher.

I've read mostly excerpts of the classic (male) philosophers but I guess the most captivating on the subject happenned to be female.

Thanks for the link btw!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

p.s. Theresa of Avila, um, make that Saint Theresa is one of several "philosophers" on that wiki page you have. There's a couple more Roman Catholic mystics and Saints on that page. Yes, I guess you could call them philosophers, but they really are looking at things through a coloured lens.

We all look at things through colored lenses my friend, we each have our own perspective, also the culture we grew up in etc. The perspective of many saints if actually followed, at least in how we relate to one another, would probably change the world for the better. I am not just talking about Christians saints either, but mystics from all traditions. I am not sure a purely secular world is possible nor desireable......I just want the two seperated, when governmets and religion get into bed, they have some pretty violent off spring. Off course each does pretty good on their own as well ;-(.

peace

mark

without a doubt, religious people were the philosophers of the Middle Ages; they were usually the only ones who were literate, for a start. It can be easy to say "well, if someone was religious, then they couldn't be free thinkers and would have to follow dogma" and so on, but the people who say that are the ones who don't know anything about the vast variety of Christian mysticism and the enormous range of different schools of thought. And that's before we start to consider Islamic (particularly Sufi) mysticism; Jewish mysticism (particularly Hasidic), all the enromous range of Eastern religions and so on. So I really don't think "philosophers" need to be qualfiied with inverted commas when talking about people who are now regarded as saints.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes that's what I meant. Specifically given the context of medieval Europe, where such thinking could get you censored, or executed. This of course was backed up by Catholic philosophy at the time, espoused famously (infamously?) by Saint Thomas Aquinas;

"On the part of the Church, however, there is mercy which looks to the conversion of the wanderer, wherefore she condemns not at once, but "after the first and second admonition," as the Apostle directs: after that, if he is yet stubborn, the Church no longer hoping for his conversion, looks to the salvation of others, by excommunicating him and separating him from the Church, and furthermore delivers him to the secular tribunal to be exterminated thereby from the world by death."

Nice.

Well today that is not even considered acceptable. Societies, religions and peoples do mature; well they do if they survive. It is not quite fair to judge other times by our standards, which by the way, on only given honor by our words, our actions suggest otherwise. In reality all groups have all the same types of people, none are better, at least on a moral level than any other when history is considered and studied. We are a primitive people, still tribal and very fearful of outsiders. Go to some atheist sites and you will see what I mean. Atheist and SOME freethinkers have just as much hatred and vitriol towards others as any group. Perhaps when we learn to not try to have contempt on those different than us, we may make some progress, but I doubt it, sad to say. I struggle with it, I am still a primitive, and my faith encourages me to grow out of that with the help of God's grace.

Peace

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

without a doubt, religious people were the philosophers of the Middle Ages; they were usually the only ones who were literate, for a start.

Sure, back then theology was the queen of the sciences.

It can be easy to say "well, if someone was religious, then they couldn't be free thinkers and would have to follow dogma"

yup, it was easy.

and so on, but the people who say that are the ones who don't know anything about the vast variety of Christian mysticism and the enormous range of different schools of thought.

try me

And that's before we start to consider Islamic (particularly Sufi) mysticism; Jewish mysticism (particularly Hasidic), all the enromous range of Eastern religions and so on. So I really don't think "philosophers" need to be qualfiied with inverted commas when talking about people who are now regarded as saints.

Yes, that's my point, all these medieval philosophers are religious. They start out with a priori knowledge of God. That's not truthseeking in the modern sense of philosophy. The word has had several denotations'

"The definition of the word "philosophy" in English has changed over the centuries. In medieval times, any research outside the fields of theology or medicine was called "philosophy","

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well today that is not even considered acceptable. Societies, religions and peoples do mature; well they do if they survive.

Well put.

It is not quite fair to judge other times by our standards, which by the way, on only given honor by our words, our actions suggest otherwise.

Yes, I'm not attacking any of these respected thinkers. I'm just pointing out the restrictions they lived in.

In reality all groups have all the same types of people, none are better, at least on a moral level than any other when history is considered and studied. We are a primitive people, still tribal and very fearful of outsiders. Go to some atheist sites and you will see what I mean. Atheist and SOME freethinkers have just as much hatred and vitriol towards others as any group. Perhaps when we learn to not try to have contempt on those different than us, we may make some progress, but I doubt it, sad to say. I struggle with it, I am still a primitive, and my faith encourages me to grow out of that with the help of God's grace.

Yes, that's why I singled out Hypatia and the growing trend by militant atheists to co-opt her for their "cause".

Perhaps if we had more female philosophers, the world would be a better place?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[/font][/color]

Well put.

Yes, I'm not attacking any of these respected thinkers. I'm just pointing out the restrictions they lived in.

Yes, that's why I singled out Hypatia and the growing trend by militant atheists to co-opt her for their "cause".

Perhaps if we had more female philosophers, the world would be a better place?

I agree, more women thinkers would add a needed balance. Though Ayn Rand would be an exception. I did read all of her works when young and liked them. Her novels, not so much, but other works had something to offer. However her system is too air tight and she is really a man in how she thinks and works her thoughts out. Also, while she was very rational, she was unreasonable, her life was in chaos.

peace

mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

without a doubt, religious people were the philosophers of the Middle Ages; they were usually the only ones who were literate, for a start. It can be easy to say "well, if someone was religious, then they couldn't be free thinkers and would have to follow dogma" and so on, but the people who say that are the ones who don't know anything about the vast variety of Christian mysticism and the enormous range of different schools of thought. And that's before we start to consider Islamic (particularly Sufi) mysticism; Jewish mysticism (particularly Hasidic), all the enromous range of Eastern religions and so on. So I really don't think "philosophers" need to be qualfiied with inverted commas when talking about people who are now regarded as saints.

Very well put, thank you.

peace

mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.