HFIK03901U FILO, Module 4: Research Subject - History of Philosophy: The mind has no sex? Women philosophers of the seventeenth century

During the seventeenth century, many philosophical developments took place that still have an impact on the way we think today, be it in the realm of theoretical or of practical philosophy. However, it is also the time when more and more women participated in philosophical debates of their days; and François Poullain de la Barre (1647-1723) famously declared that “the mind has no sex”. But women philosophers had to face serious obstacles when participating in the learned world.

In this class, we will focus on the thought of three women philosophers of the seventeenth century, namely Arcangela Tarabotti (1604-1650), Elisabeth of Bohemia (1618-1680), and Anne Conway (1631-1679). Although they were engaged in different philosophical debates, they all illustrate the complex and problematic relation between sex, gender and philosophy.

The aim of the course is threefold:

1. to investigate the thought of three women philosophers and relate it to philosophical debates of their time
2. to investigate what obstacles women had to face when entering philosophical debates
3. to investigate what impact sex and gender had on the writings of women philosophers.

We will also critically engage in the historiography of philosophy and investigate how women philosophers are represented in standard accounts of the seventeenth century.