Invisible no more: Reclaiming the legacy of women philosophers

Exclusion of women is not an accident but has been consistently practiced through the practice in institutions. Formal instruction in classical philosophy, publishing in academia, clerical rights (in the case of medieval philosophers), and membership in philosophical societies were usually closed to women.

- RITIKA GOSWAMI

"Why are there no women philosophers?" Oftentimes posed in informal conversations or even as scholarly goading, this question loads centuries of neglect, erasure, and misconstruction. It not only suggests a felt lack but also a refusal to recognize, document, and educate women's philosophical work throughout history and across cultures. This is not a feminist complaint. Instead, it is a reframing of viewpoint supported by historical record, philosophical critique, and thoughtful introspection. It calls out the reader to focus on the models whereby knowledge has been selected and sanctified.

THE QUESTION ITSELF: A PROBLEM OF FRAMING

The formulation "Why are there no women philosophers?" is not merely historically wrong—it is epistemologically disingenuous. The question presupposes that philosophy has always been a straight, male venture, a discipline characterized by a limited number of Greco-Roman names carved into our mental monoliths. It presupposes one must belong to the canon defined by the largely Western, patriarchal academy before one can become a philosopher. But as philosopher Michèle Le Dœuff well pointed out, "Women have always been philosophers; they just haven't always been recognized as such." The problem is not one of presence but of visibility.

THE ERASED PHILOSOPHERS: A HISTORICAL GLIMPSE

Hypatia of Alexandria (c. 360-415 CE) is a name which occasionally appears, usually nostalgically treated as a martyr of reason. But Hypatia was not an isolated exception; she represented a high Alexandrian tradition of intellectual endeavor. She taught Plotinus's Neoplatonism and formulated astronomical and mathematical theories. Her violent killing at the hands of a Christian mob was a personal tragedy as much as the symbolic silencing of women in the pursuit of philosophy for centuries to come.