Journal ArticleDOI
The primacy of right. On the triad of liberty, equality and virtue in Wollstonecraft's political thought
TLDR
For Wollstonecraft, the foundation for the triad of liberty, equality, and virtue is a theory of rights as mentioned in this paper, which explains her views on property, on sex equality and also on legitimate government.Abstract:
I argue along the following lines: For Wollstonecraft, liberty is independence in two different spheres, one presupposing the other. On the one hand, liberty is independence in relation to others, in the sense of not being vulnerable to their whim or arbitrary will. Call this social, or political, liberty. For liberty understood in this way, infringements do not require individual instances of interfering. Liberty is lost in unequal relationships, through dependence on the goodwill of a master. In addition, liberty is independence of mind, a state I am in when I trust my own reasoned judgement above any other authority. Call this moral liberty. Moral liberty needs social liberty. In other words, to the extent I am subject to the whim of others, I am not in a position to be guided by my own judgement. Moral liberty is one of two aspects of virtue: a disposition to independent deliberation according to reason. As such, virtue is a habit of mind. The second aspect of virtue is universal benevolence as its action guiding principle. This is how liberty, equality, and virtue fit together. Social liberty, understood as independence in relation to others, necessarily coexist with equality, and is necessary for moral liberty, the habit of mind that makes up one aspect of virtue, as well as for universal benevolence as virtue’s action guiding principle. This triad explains her views on property, on sex equality, and also on legitimate government. My second line of argument is that according to Wollstonecraft, we have a duty to be virtuous. Virtue is the main object of human life. But since virtue, in both its aspects, needs social liberty and since liberty is the birthright of man, the duty is conditioned on the right. The foundation for the triad of liberty, equality, and virtue is a theory of rights. The basis for the discussion of virtue is the right to the conditions necessary for its realization. The duty is conditioned on the right to liberty. (Less)read more
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The care of the self
TL;DR: This is the third volume of Foucault's "History of Sexuality" as discussed by the authors, which is the first volume of the history of sexual relations. Foucaults other works include "Madness and Civilization", "The Archaeology of Knowledge", and "The Birth of the Clinic" and "Discipline and Punish".
Journal ArticleDOI
Mary Wollstonecraft, freedom and the enduring power of social domination:
TL;DR: In this paper, Wollstonecraft argues that prejudice clouds people's ability to reason and skews debate in favour of the dominant powers, thereby entrenching patterns of subjection.
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The social and political philosophy of Mary Wollstonecraft
Sandrine Berges,Alan Coffee +1 more
TL;DR: Tomaselli and Tomaselli as discussed by the authors discuss the role of Passions in Wollstonecraft's concept of virtue in the political writings of women and their relationship with women.
Posted Content
Freedom as Independence: Mary Wollstonecraft and the Grand Blessing of Life
TL;DR: Independence is a central and recurring theme in Mary Wollstonecraft's work as discussed by the authors, and it is an egalitarian ideal that requires that all individuals, regardless of sex, be protected to a comparable extent in all areas of social, political, and economic life, no matter whether this is in the public or private sphere.
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A Vindication of Political Virtue: The Political Theory of Mary Wollstonecraft
TL;DR: Sapiro as mentioned in this paper provides a full-length treatment of Wollstonecraft's political theory, drawing on all of her works and treating them thematically rather than sequentially, and shows that Wollstonescraft's ideas about women's rights, feminism, and gender are elements of a broad and fully developed philosophy with significant implications for contemporary democratic and liberal theory.
Journal ArticleDOI
Mary wollstonecraft and the problematic of slavery
TL;DR: In contrast to A Vindication of the Rights of Men in 1790, which drew primarily on the language of natural rights for its argument, the authors favored a discourse on slavery that foregrounded female subjugation.
Journal ArticleDOI
‘Not Empire, but Equality’: Mary Wollstonecraft, the Marriage State and the Sexual Contract
TL;DR: Self-ownership is not a term used by Wollstonecraft herself, but I make use of it in this paper because I believe it captures what she means by independence, arrived at by a combination of reflection, self-government and labour as discussed by the authors.
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Mary Wollstonecraft's Social and Aesthetic Philosophy: An Eve to Please Me
TL;DR: The Old Abelard: Or, HeloIse Among the Immodest Philosopher Making Novel Creatures Wants of Women as mentioned in this paper is an example of an Eve to Please Me.