The influence of Descartes’ philosophy on past and present feminism

René Descartes’ concepts of free will and the passions inspired several philosophers to develop feminist arguments in the late 1600s and early 1700s. This thesis examines how three of those early modern philosophers—François Poullain de la Barre, Gabrielle Suchon, and Mary Astell—adopted and extended Cartesian ideas to develop feminist views. The thesis then compares their views with those of contemporary feminist Marguerite La Caze, who uses Luce Irigaray’s and Descartes’ concepts to ground an ethics of sexual difference. The main contention is that while the earlier feminists remain true to Descartes’ ideas, La Caze diverges from a strictly Cartesian framework.