Women in the History of Philosophy (PHIL*3210)
Code and section: PHIL*3210*01
Term: Fall 2019
Instructor: Patricia Sheridan
Details
This course will examine the works of several early modern women philosophers. Each of these women made an original contribution to the dominating philosophical debates of their time. These women are noteworthy not only for the fact that they wrote philosophy under adverse conditions, but also for the fact that their writings challenged the views of some of the most important thinkers of their time. We will begin with a consideration of women’s lives in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries—this will provide important context for appreciating not only the small numbers of women writing in this period but also the philosophical accomplishments of those who did write. We will follow by examining, in turn, the relevant arguments of major seventeenth and eighteenth century thinkers and the critical responses of the women philosophers under consideration. This course aims to provide you with an appreciation both for the dominating debates of the early modern period and for the contributions women made to those debates.