Women who challenged assumptions about education, equality and intellectual freedom more than 300 years ago are the focus of new research at The University of Notre Dame Australia.
Notre Dame philosopher and Transformative Research Fellow Dr Sam Kaldas is examining the work of three influential but often overlooked 17th century thinkers, Anne Conway, Damaris Masham and Mary Astell, whose ideas helped shape debates about reason, autonomy and human flourishing long before such concepts entered the mainstream.
The project, Women Platonists in Early Modern England: Conway, Masham and Astell on Love, Reason and Autonomy, seeks to recover the contributions of women whose intellectual achievements have frequently been overshadowed by their male contemporaries.
Dr Kaldas said the women were among the earliest philosophers to argue that education and rational inquiry should not be limited by gender.
"At a time when women were largely excluded from intellectual life, these thinkers challenged the assumption that education and reason belonged only to men," Dr Kaldas said.
"They argued that the capacity for reason is fundamental to what it means to flourish as a human being and that this applies equally to women."
Supported by Notre Dame's Transformative Research framework, the project aligns with the University's Good Lives research theme, which explores the conditions that enable individuals and communities to thrive.
For Dr Kaldas, the research offers an opportunity to broaden understandings of intellectual history by bringing neglected voices back into contemporary conversations.
"These women were engaging with some of the biggest philosophical questions of their time, including the relationship between faith and reason, the nature of the self and what it means to live well," he said.
"Their ideas remain relevant because many of the issues they grappled with continue to shape discussions about education, equality and human flourishing today."
Dr Kaldas' interest in the subject grew from his doctoral research on the Cambridge Platonists, a group of influential 17th century philosophers whose work explored religion, morality and reason.
Although the Cambridge Platonists themselves were men, women such as Conway, Masham and Astell were part of the same intellectual circles, developing and adapting philosophical ideas to address challenges facing women in their own lives and communities.
Their work represents some of the earliest sustained philosophical arguments in favour of women's intellectual equality and access to education.
As part of the project, Dr Kaldas is exploring historical texts, letters and manuscripts to gain a deeper understanding of how these women developed their ideas. Future archival research may also provide new insights, including the opportunity to study handwritten notes preserved in books owned by Mary Astell.
Dr Kaldas hopes the project will help ensure these pioneering thinkers receive greater recognition for their contribution to philosophy.
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