The Philosophy of Mary Astell

An Early Modern Theory of Virtue

Jacqueline Broad

One of the first books to examine the ideas and arguments of a woman philosopher of the early modern era
Illuminates the wider philosophical agenda underpinning Astell's thought
Presents a clear, accessible account of a unique seventeenth-century theory of virtue
Situates Astell's philosophy within its historical and intellectual context

The Philosophy of Mary Astell

An Early Modern Theory of Virtue

Jacqueline Broad

Description

Mary Astell (1666-1731) is best known today as one of the earliest English feminists. She is also known as a Tory political pamphleteer, an Anglican apologist, an eloquent rhetorician, and an educational theorist. In this book, Jacqueline Broad interprets Astell first and foremost as a moral philosopher, or as someone committed to providing guidance on how best to live and how to attain happiness. The central claim of this work is that all the different strands of Astell's thought--her theory of knowledge, her metaphysics, her philosophy of the passions, her feminist vision, and her conservative political views--are best understood in light of her ethical objectives. To demonstrate this, Broad examines Astell's major writings and traces her programme to bring about a moral transformation of character in her fellow women. This programme draws on several key aspects of seventeenth-century philosophy, including Cartesian and Neoplatonist epistemologies, proofs for the existence of God, arguments for the immaterial soul, and theories about how to regulate the passions in accordance with reason. At the heart of Astell's philosophy, it is argued, lies a theory of virtue and guidelines on how to cultivate generosity of character, a benevolent disposition toward other people, and the virtue of moderation.
This book will help readers to see Astell's feminist, political, and religious views in the context of her wider philosophical vision. It provides a rich and illuminating account of a unique female-centred contribution to the philosophy of the early modern period. It will appeal to students and scholars in philosophy, history of ideas, and gender studies.

The Philosophy of Mary Astell

An Early Modern Theory of Virtue

Jacqueline Broad

The Philosophy of Mary Astell

An Early Modern Theory of Virtue

Jacqueline Broad

Author Information

Jacqueline Broad, Monash University

Jacqueline Broad is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Philosophy Department of the School of Philosophical, Historical, and International Studies at Monash University, Melbourne. Her main area of research interest is early modern women's philosophy. She is the author of Women Philosophers of the Seventeenth Century (CUP, 2002) and co-author (with Karen Green) of A History of Women's Political Thought in Europe, 1400-1700 (CUP, 2009). She has recently published a modern edition of Mary Astell's magnum opus, The Christian Religion, as Professed by a Daughter of the Church of England (Toronto, Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies and Iter, 2013).

The Philosophy of Mary Astell

An Early Modern Theory of Virtue

Jacqueline Broad

Reviews and Awards

"Broad has succeeded in writing a book that will be accessible to a range of readers, from undergraduates to specialists ... I predict that it will quickly become essential reading for anyone interested in Astell's work." -- Deborah Boyle, Australasian Journal of Philosophy

"...everyone will learn from this text, several debates about Astell are resolved in it, and Astell's philosophical status is generally elevated." -- Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online

"Broad argues that Astell represents a distinctive female voice in ethics, since her ethical concerns are specific to women and are not represented in men's ethical writings. Instead of spending time trying to explain Astell's absence from philosophy, she shifts attention to the more positive issue of 'the implications of writing her back in.' One of the many merits of this study is that it suggests common ground between Astell's philosophy and themes of more interest to the secular present, including the question of moral freedoms, arguing that Astell finds echoes in the concerns of modern feminists...Jacqueline Broad's study of Mary Astell takes our understanding of Astell as a philosopher to a new level and will serve as a model for the study of other female philosophers." -- Journal of the History of Philosophy

"The reading of Astell that Broad presents here is a compelling one, and one that gives readers a way into an array of texts written in a variety of styles...Broad has worked the ground for future readers of Astell, and planted seeds for what can be rich and textured scholarship of Astell's philosophical programme in relation to that of her contemporaries." -- Hypatia Reviews Online

The Philosophy of Mary Astell

An Early Modern Theory of Virtue

Jacqueline Broad

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Women in the history of philosophy

For the most part, the practice of philosophy tends to be collective and conversational and collaborative. We enjoy reading what others have written on a given topic, and we like to hear what others have to say, because different people see things differently.

Posted on October 3, 2015

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