What Makes a Philosopher Great? by Hetherington Stephen

Author:Hetherington, Stephen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (CAM)

3. Du Châtelet’s Innovations on Women’s Minds and Education

On the woman question, there are clear points of agreement between Astell and Du Châtelet writing a century later. The following passage from Du Châtelet’s preface to her translation of Bernard Mandeville’s Fable of the Bees underscores the later philosopher’s affinity with Astell when it comes to thinking about women’s minds and education (2009: 48–9):

Let us reflect briefly on why for so many centuries, not one good tragedy, one good poem, one esteemed history, one beautiful painting, one good book of physics, has come from the hands of women. Why do these creatures, whose understanding appears in all things equal to that of men, seem for all that, to be stopped by an invincible force on this side of a barrier; let someone give me some explanation, if there is one. I leave it to naturalists to find a physical explanation, but until that happens, women will be entitled to protest against their education. As for me, I confess that if I were king… I would allow women to share in all the rights of humanity, and most of all those of the mind. Women seem to have been born to deceive, and their soul is scarcely allowed any other exercise…

I am convinced that many women are either ignorant of their talents, because of flaws in their education, or bury them out of prejudice and for lack of a bold spirit. What I have experienced myself confirms me in this opinion…

I hold myself to be quite fortunate to have renounced in mid-course frivolous things that occupy most women all their lives, and I want to use what time remains to cultivate my soul.

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