Where are the women thinkers? A brief history of why women were excluded from philosophy

The history of Western philosophy has, for the most part, been a narrative overwhelmingly shaped by male figures. Recently, this has prompted a critical examination of the discipline’s commitment to addressing what are ostensibly universal human concerns and biases. Experts have come to the conclusion that not only has philosophy as a discipline excluded women, but that it has been shaped by the exclusion of women.

This observation becomes even more shocking considering that women have, throughout history, actively engaged in philosophy, even earning admiration — sometimes credit — from their male contemporaries.

So where are they? Women philosophers have been and continue to be relegated to a secondary status, prompting a need to explore the reasons behind this apparent undervaluing of their contributions.

The good news is that philosophy isn’t just an ancient thing, and current events have renewed interest in the subject, expanding the once firmly established canon of philosophical thinkers.

That also means that new questions are being explored:While scholars are actively revising the canon and shedding light on overlooked thinkers, fresh eyes are raising new questions about philosophical values, and constructing fresh narratives that offer a more contemporary understanding of intellectual developments throughout history.

One question that keeps popping up is philosophical in its own right: Is the historical exclusion of women thinkers a symptom of enduring biases, or are enduring biases a symptom of the exclusion of women thinkers? What came first, the chicken or the egg?

Women in the past faced different options for disseminating their ideas compared to their male counterparts. Not all women published philosophical treatises during their lifetimes, though that didn’t mean that they didn’t participate in it. Many of their ideas reside in unconventional forms such as unpublished manuscripts, correspondence, diaries, or poetry.

The content of women’s philosophical thought also often addressed issues that were dismissed as “unphilosophical” by 19th-century projects involved in canon formation. These included ethical issues related to domestic life, specifically family dynamics and gender roles. Male philosophers saw these topics as too specific or practical, considering it outside of “serious” or “systematic” philosophy that dealt with more abstract or existential issues.

Other themes explored by women philosophers pertained to social and political activism — a topic ignored by philosophy as a whole, moral and emotional education — specifically the role of emotions in ethical decision-making, and personal identity — seen as diverging from more abstract and impersonal than traditional philosophical dialogue.

It is partially an issue of subjectivity versus objectivity. An interesting observation made by Anne J. Jacobson, emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Houston, surmised that women find that personal experience made one more suitable to address a topic, and men felt that personal experience made a person’s opinion invalid.

In recent decades, scholars in different fields have actively broadened their curricula through the inclusion of previously neglected works by women. But in the philosophical realm, the stereotypical figure of the bearded sage dominates the historical narrative, reinforcing the perception of philosophy as a subject largely shaped by male perspectives.

The underrepresentation of women in philosophy still persists.While over 58% of undergraduate students today are women, they make up only 30% of those who earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy. Today, only 20% of professors of philosophy — who hold a PhD — are women. The field’s slow evolution is even more disparate compared to other fields that have undergone transformative changes in the 1970s and 1980s.

Thefirst edition of The Norton Introduction to Philosophy is a possibly too on-the-nose example. The 1.2k-page textbook contains no historical writings by women. This absence represents the institutionalized exclusion of women from the canon. Even the scientific field, notorious for overlooking women, has become more inclusive of women scientists’ contribution and appealing to women newcomers.

This exclusion not only perpetuates a belief that women’s cultural history is non-existent but also downplays the pivotal roles women have played in shaping modern philosophical ideas.

The voices of women who fought during the French Revolution, like Olympe de Gouges, and those who engaged in philosophical discourse throughout history have often been marginalized or overlooked.

Even within the European tradition, the prevailing patriarchal narrative continues to marginalize the role of women in cultural history.Critics argue that a history of women’s ideas cannot be recovered due to historical exclusion from schools and universities.

Wise women. However, historical evidence does exist to challenge this notion. For example, Jakob Brucker, a philosopher contemporary of 1745, included female thinkers in his comprehensive history of philosophy, asserting that “wise women have existed across various cultures.”

Efforts to broaden the curriculum and acknowledge the contributions of women philosophers face considerable challenges. The absence of an institutionalized history for women’s ideas not only hampers the dissemination of knowledge but also perpetuates a gender imbalance in academic philosophy. The early presence of women philosophers, such as Hipparchia of Maroneia, Arete of Cyrene, and Aspasia of Miletus, challenges the narrative that women were historically excluded from philosophical discourse.

But there is hope. While historical philosophers have been neglected and denied the credit they deserve for shaping philosophy to what it is today, the inclusion in the philosophical Western canon has gained momentum in the 20th and 21st centuries. Figures like Susanne Langer, G.E.M. Anscombe, Hannah Arendt, and Simone de Beauvoir have started to find a place in the canon.

A crucial aspect of addressing these issues involves acknowledging and correcting historical biases, recognizing the valuable contributions of women philosophers, and fostering a more accurate representation of philosophy’s heritage to create a more equitable and comprehensive understanding of the discipline.