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Damaris Cudworth Masham: A Seventeenth Century Feminist Philosopher

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2020

Lois Frankel
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Abstract

The daughter of Ralph Cudworth, and friend of John Locke, Damaris Masham was also a philosopher in her own right. She published two, philosophical books, A Discourse Concerning the Love of God and Occasional Thoughts In Reference to a Virtuous and Christian Life. Her primary purpose was to refute John Norris’ Malebranchian doctrine that we ought to love only God because only God can give us pleasure, and his criticism of Locke. In addition, she argues for greater educational opportunities for women, and an end to the double standard in sexual morality. Recent feminist literature has suggested that women and men may take different ethical and epistemological stands based on differences between the ‘female experience’, and the ‘male experience’. While leaving aside questions pertaining to the accuracy of these suggestions, this paper discusses some aspects of Mash’ am's thought which might be considered representative of the ‘female experience.’

Type
Research Article
Information
Hypatia , Volume 4 , Issue 1: Special Issue: The History of Women in Philosophy , Spring 1989 , pp. 80 - 90
Copyright
Copyright © 1989 by Hypatia, Inc.

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