Why are there so few (if any – do you know of any?) female philosophers?
I believe the reason for this is two-fold, though my arguments are sure to ruffle a lot of feathers upon reading. Let’s dive in.
First:
Women are too emotional. It is difficult to come to conclusions about Truth (with a capital T) when you are emotionally invested in the journey and subsequent outcome. It is difficult to choose head over heart when the Truth does not align with our personal virtues, our empathetic nature, and our feminine Spirit. It is hard for us to ask the “hard questions” if those questions turn off this empathy. When they write, it is authentically them and filled with their heart and soul. No question is too big, but their ability to turn off that empathy is too small.
Second:
Men have a far greater drive to prove to the community that they are special, different, better from other men, and – in particular – wiser than them all. Men struggle with a more dominant ego that pushes them to peacock their grandiose ideas to all who might stop to listen. Men believe they are wiser so they write like they are to try and convince everyone else that they are. Period. Narcissism drives them to believe their big questions are the most important and that the answers they uncover are also the most important, and that the world will certainly want to know about it. So, it is scribed and it is shared.
But it is the confidence with which men share their wisdom that has me drawn to male philosophical writers (I genuinely do not know, off the top of my head, what female philosopher I have read). I suppose it all returns to the ideas of the Stoics – build your inner Truth with such resilience and confidence, and calm that the external world could never destroy it. The world will have to mold around it (around you) once it sees your strength. Male philosophers write like they don’t care if you believe them or not – and I guess that pulls me in.
But the irony in that is that male philosophers are also profoundly insecure, and they actually really do care what you think about what they write. Their confidence can mask a deep-seated need for validation (which goes hand-in-hand with narcissism). On the other hand, many female writers pour their hearts onto the page, often indifferent to whether their work receives widespread acclaim. This authenticity and emotional honesty are profound, even if they do not always align with the traditional philosophical discourse.
What do you think?
And, more importantly, which do you prefer to read: male or female philosophical works?
xx C
lifeofcloud 