Brief Description
This study recovers the historical and philosophical contexts for Mary Astell's thought.
Learn More about the Book
Philosopher, theologian, educational theorist, feminist, and political pamphleteer, Mary Astell was an important figure in the history of ideas of the early modern period in many contexts. (She contributed to the British debate over toleration and dissent from the 1690s, which inaugurated the modern secular state.) Patricia Springborg's study recovers the historical and philosophical contexts of her thought. She demonstrates that Astell was not alone in her views but, rather, part of a cohort of early modern women philosophers grappling with the existential problems of a new age.
Review Quotes
1. "Patricia Springborg is to be commended for having done the most work on that scintillating political thinker, Mary Astell, and having done it with superlatively high standards."
-Jane Duran, University of Santa Barbara
2. "In this book, which draws on her earlier publications, [Springborg] works to insert Astell into the canon writ large, presenting an engaging picture of the relevant social, historical and political contexts. She is particularly adept at isolating moments of philosophical dispute, explaining the views, pressures, and goals of the individual players and re-dramatizing the debates, attending to both the rhetoric and logic of argument."
-Alice Sowaal, Journal of the History of Philosophy
3. "It remains[...]that Springborg's research played-and with this book, will continue to play-a crucial part in igniting sophisticated critical debate about Astell's writings[...]Springborg has performed an inestimable service for Astell studies and for the study of early modern women philosophers in general."
-Jacqueline Broad, Monash University, American Historical Review
