Woman Philosophers: Do they exist?

I need to admit candidly that I've never thought serious about woman philosophers as I do now. I believe most of us have never spared a minute to seek who was behind Descartes or Jean Paul Satre, whom they owed so much. Till yesterday what most of us knew was that Socrates had a very nagging wife, Xanthippe who most of part distracted him from his deep thinking and philosophical discourses and Jean Paul Satre had a very complicated relationship with Simone de Beauvoir. We missed to consider Xanthippe as a thinker and Simone de Beauvoir as a great woman philosopher. Now, I am deeply moved by the accomplishment of woman philosophers throughout the history of humankind. However, it is noted that it is hard to find accurate and adequate information about Woman Philosophers from Greek to Modern period.

Woman Philosophers: Do they exist?

The picture of 'woman' revolves around performing a various roles in the private sphere of life as mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, beloved, and friends but as philosopher, it is little odd. The course book of Philosophy includes the philosophy of male philosophers but hardly of female philosophers. The philosophy of Socrates is easily available for discourse but in case of Hipparchia, not her contribution but even her name is hardly remembered. Hipparchia is considered as a first liberated woman of the world who chose her own bridegroom in the ancient Greece. In this way, the existence of woman philosophy has been always a matter of research rather than a matter of dialogue and discourse in the realm of philosophy.

At this moment, I can't forward the criteria that qualify any man or woman or thinker or writer or religious leader as a philosopher. However, what can be said here is that a person regardless of gender, man or woman or third gender who has developed a set of ideas and beliefs about the meaning of life, the conception of the world, Universe, Soul and God in general is a philosopher and any idea or thinking that influences the wisdom of the world or provides a new dimension in the world is a philosopher is a subject matter of philosophy. Thus, the existence of philosophers everywhere is inevitable and pervasive.

In regard of woman philosophers, I think woman philosophers exist. And my thinking has verified the existence of woman philosophers. As Rene Descartes articulates 'cogito ergo sum' that literally means 'I think therefore I am', thinking is a basic essence that attributes existence. Therefore, my thinking is a first step in demonstrating the attainability of knowledge about woman philosophers.

After accepting the existence of women philosophers, the following facts are note worthy to reflect on their contribution in the realm of philosophy:

• A few thousand years before Pythagoras (the Father of Philosophy), a woman called En Hedu'Anna was doing philosophy. She lived in the area now designated as Syria and/or Iraq.

• An Empress of the Roman Empire restored philosophy to Rome after Nero killed or exiled all the active philosophers.

• Women's monasteries in Europe were home to many women philosophers. The Abbess Hroswitha, for example, wrote philosophical plays.

• One of Japan's great epic authors was a woman philosopher.

• Descartes owed so much to the assistance and criticism of a woman philosopher that he dedicated his Meditations to her.

• The work of a female British philosopher established the distinction between philosophy and the empirical sciences that is generally accepted in Western universities today. This is basically important because in the past, Newton, Galileo and others published their works as Natural Philosophy, not science.

• The St. Louis Hegelians in the United States are credited with introducing professional philosophy into the USA. Women were part of this work. They had articles published in the first professional philosophy journal in the country.

Therefore, what time demands is to appreciate the efforts of the Pythagorean women philosophers of the 6th and 5th centuries B.C., Aspasia and Diotima of the 5th century B.C., Arete, Hipparchia, Pamphile and Hypatia of the 4th century A.D. in the Greek philosophy along with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and not forgetting Simone de Beauvoir before discussing on Jean Paul Satre's 'Being and Nothingness'. This will be more or less like awake from a dogmatic slumber as Kant once said when he bridged the gap between Idealism and Empiricism.

Three Women Philosophers: Gargi, Simone de Beauvoir and Parijat

In general, philosophers are valued for knowledge and wisdom, be it of religion, spirituality or nature or any subject matters that have connection with life, world and universe. Therefore, education comes in the centre stage as a prerequisite for being knowledgeable and wise person. And those parts of human civilization where women are kept away from education, the chances of women becoming philosopher were relatively low.

Amidst, in the ancient time, when education was not required to women, it is found that some women were educated by their father, brother or husband and they became philosophers of their time. For example, Arete of Cyrene of 4th Century BC became not only a successor of the Cyrenaic School but also earned a place as egalitarian woman philosopher who wrote "I dream of a world where there are neither masters nor slave..." and the epitaph on Arete of Cyrene's tomb called her "the splendour of Greece" with the "beauty of Helen, the virtue of Therma, the Aristippus, the soul of Socrates and the tongue of Homer". The list of educated women in the Ancient Greece who eventually became philosophers include Arete of Cyrene, Aristoclea, Aspasia (known as a companion of Socrates), Damo, Diotima, Hipparchia, Leontium, Perictyone (said to have been the mother of Plato, who was born B. C. 429), Theano (female philosopher, pupil of Pythagoras and later his wife), Themistoclea of Delphi (6th century BC- teacher of Pythagoras), Theoclea and Axiothea (a disciple of Plato). With the course of time, the list of woman philosophers has become long and there are numerous woman philosophers whose contribution has been really valuable and visionary to the world.

In this connection, it is clear that woman philosophers have contributed from mythology to time present, for instance, Gargi Vachaknavi, a figure from Brihadaranyaka Upanisad and Simone de Beauvoir, an influencing existentialist from France.

I appreciate Gargi because of her courage to challenge a great sage Yajnavalkya in a philosophic congress. Regarding Gargi, she is mentioned in the Sixth and the Eighth Brahmana of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, where the brahmayajna, a philosophic congress organized by King Janaka of Videha is described. She challenged the sage Yajnavalkya with perturbing questions on the atman (soul). In Vedic literature, she is honored as one of the great natural philosophers. She is regarded as an author of Gargi Samhita. Likewise, Yogayajnavalkya Samhita, a classical text on Yoga is a dialogue between sage Yajnavalkya and Gargi. In short, her contribution is notable for knowledge on the origin of all existence.

At the same time, I adore Simone for being such an influencing French existentialist philosopher. Her work 'The Ethics of Ambiguity' was much valued by contemporary feminists than she herself did. Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) published numerous philosophical books and essays. She had not only influence Jean Paul Satre's philosophy but also defended his ideas at many places and even wrote essays in support of Satre. Her major contributions are Pour une morale de l’ambiguïté (The Ethics of Ambiguity), Le Deuxième Sexe (The Second Sex), Privilèges (Essay Collection), Mémoires d’une jeune fille rangée(Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter), La Force de l’âge(The Prime of Life), La Force des choses (After the War, Vol. I; Hard Times, Vol. II), L’Existentialisme et la sagesse des nations (Essay Collection). Till date, The Ethics of Ambiguity and The Second Sex are two books which are widely read by people around the world. In 2010, a new English translation of The Second Sex was published by Jonathan Cape (England) and is released by Random House (United States).

In Nepalese context, I see Parijat as one of notable woman philosophers. She was a progressive, feminist and existentialist writer. She is known for her book Shirishko phool which won the notable awards and also heart of readers. This book is even translated into English as Blue Mimosa and also included as a course book in some foreign university. Her writings reflected upon the absurdity of life, particularly in Mahattahin, fragility of woman in Shirishko phool (Blue Mimosa), difference between upper class and lower class in Baisako Manchhe, exploitation against girl children and women in Paribhashit Aankhaharu. She has seriously question about human existence and its absurdities through her novels, essays and poems and is still widely read in the Nepalese literary world.
From mythology to time present, Gargi, Simone and Parijat have made their distinguished place in the realm of philosophy in respective time in which they have lived at first instance and secondly, beyond the human civilization they individually belonged i.e. till today. I see this influence will last till the human civilization lasts on the earth.

Conclusion:

As the world is becoming more egalitarian and liberal, more women have proved themselves to be philosopher and great thinker. The number of woman philosophers is increasing day by day. In the present context, many international networks and organizations including an International network of women philosophers are making effort to unite women philosophers of the world and also developing as well as spreading their ideas and thinking across the world.
For now I believe women philosophers do exist but I am not still confident how many are there and how they have influenced the world. However, I definitely see this learning process as a step to search woman philosophers and look beyond Gargi, Simone and Parijat. From this moment on, I will truly honour the philosophical works of woman philosophers more from mythology to the time present- that is what the study of philosophy demands- love for wisdom from lovers of wisdom.

Note: Avaya Sharma of Nepal Philosophy Forum gave me 10 days deadline to write up something and assured me that he would be publishing whatever I would send. I said 'Yes' though I was not sure what I would be writing but the idea that the publication would have at one write up of female philosophy student inspired me. I spent 6 days searching for theme, on 7th day I started writing and early morning of 8th day, the mail was sent to Avaya Sharma. Now, it is published in the publication of Nepal Philosophy Forum. Well I dedicate this piece of writing to my batchmates and highly enlightened desk bench and classroom of the department of philosophy of Trichandra College with whom I shared my soulful years 2003-2006.

Disclaimer: I don't owe the photographes of this posts. They are taken from various sources available in public domain.