Overview

Many women wrote philosophy in nineteenth-century Britain, and they wrote across the full range of philosophical topics. Yet these important women thinkers have been left out of the philosophical canon and many of them are barely known today. The aim of this book is to put them back on the map. It introduces twelve women philosophers - Mary Shepherd, Harriet Martineau, Ada Lovelace, George Eliot, Frances Power Cobbe, Helena Blavatsky, Julia Wedgwood, Victoria Welby, Arabella Buckley, Annie Besant, Vernon Lee, and Constance Naden. Alison Stone looks at their views on naturalism, philosophy of mind, evolution, morality and religion, and progress in history. She shows how these women interacted and developed their philosophical views in conversation with one another, not only with their male contemporaries. The rich print and periodical culture of the period enabled these women to publish philosophy in forms accessible to a general readership, despite the restrictions women faced, such as having limited or no access to university education. Stone explains how these women became excluded from the history of philosophy because there was a cultural shift at the end of the nineteenth century towards specialised forms of philosophical writing, which depended on academic credentials that were still largely unavailable to women.

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9780192874719

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This book offers a compelling exploration of its subject matter, presenting thought-provoking insights that linger long after the final page. Readers receive thorough chapter summaries, reflecting the book's focus on providing them with a wealth of information that enriches their understanding of the topic. Stone draws on a wide array of primary and secondary sources, and successfully maintains interest in twelve remarkable women -- and philosophers. * Mariam Zarif, British Association for Victorian Studies Newsletter *

Author Information

Alison Stone is Professor of Philosophy at Lancaster University. Her interests span the history of philosophy, post-Kantian European philosophy, feminist philosophy, and aesthetics. Her most recent books are Being Born (OUP 2019), Frances Power Cobbe: Essential Writings of a Nineteenth-Century Feminist Philosopher (OUP, 2022), and Frances Power Cobbe in the series Cambridge Elements in Women in the History of Philosophy (CUP, 2022). With Lydia Moland, she is co-editing the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of American and British Women Philosophers in the Nineteenth Century.

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