Reappearing Ink : Workshop on Early Modern Philosophy and metaphilosophy

Description

In line with the decisive shift that the discipline of the history of philosophy has been experiencing in the last few decades, this workshop aims at contributing to the enhancement of the canonical picture of Early Modern philosophy to include the voices of women.

This objective is two-fold: (1) We are interested in the philosophical theories of Early Modern women philosophers, their arguments, influence and novelty, as well as in their engagement with debates at the time. (2) We are equally concerned with metaphilosophical issues regarding the presuppositions behind the formation of a canon that has systematically erased their voices under the guise of an organic and value-free selection of the best representatives. Women philosophers have been relegated to the footnotes of the history of philosophy, yet the richness and length of their contributions indicate that this omission is often not due to lack of intellectual merit. Some metaphilosophical questions might include considerations about what counts as philosophy in the Early Modern period, and how and why certain topics constituted the hard core of the discipline of philosophy while others seemed to invariably circulate along the margins. The workshop Reappearing Ink* is in keeping with current work towards a more accurate, complete and intellectually honest discipline.

_{*O’Neill, Eileen (1997), “Disappearing Ink: Early Modern Women Philosophers and Their Fate in History”, in Janet A. Kourany (ed.) Philosophy in a Feminist Voice. Critics and Reconstructions, Princeton University Press}

Speakers

Jessica Gordon-Roth (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)

Nancy Kendrick (Wheaton College, Massachusetts)

Please find more information about the programme here.

Contact: Anna Ortin Nadal