The Less Noble Sex: Scientific, Religious, and Philosophical Conceptions of Woman's NatureThis book looks at five major beliefs about woman's nature generally accepted by Western philosophers, theologians, and scientists from the classical period to the nineteenth century. These are that: woman is less perfect than man, woman possesses inferior rational capacities, woman has a defective moral sense, man is the primary creative force, and that woman is in need of control. |
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Page 64
... reason and emotion , masculinizes rationality . A woman who wishes to follow
Descartes ' s method must reject her culturally prescribed roles ; she must see the
skills and thought processes associated with those roles as devoid of reason .
... reason and emotion , masculinizes rationality . A woman who wishes to follow
Descartes ' s method must reject her culturally prescribed roles ; she must see the
skills and thought processes associated with those roles as devoid of reason .
Page 81
Her feet go down to death ; / her steps follow the path to Sheol ” ( Proverbs 5 : 3 -
5 ) . Not only is woman less moral than man , she poses the greatest threat to
man ' s morality . This theme , that the wickedness of woman is the result of her ...
Her feet go down to death ; / her steps follow the path to Sheol ” ( Proverbs 5 : 3 -
5 ) . Not only is woman less moral than man , she poses the greatest threat to
man ' s morality . This theme , that the wickedness of woman is the result of her ...
Page 94
Aretaeus believed that the womb , being like an animal , would delight in and
follow fragrant smells , and be repelled by fetid smells . Thus , he advised that if a
woman ' s uterus had traveled upward , rubbing fragrant oils , like cinnamon , into
...
Aretaeus believed that the womb , being like an animal , would delight in and
follow fragrant smells , and be repelled by fetid smells . Thus , he advised that if a
woman ' s uterus had traveled upward , rubbing fragrant oils , like cinnamon , into
...
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The less noble sex: scientific, religious, and philosophical conceptions of woman's nature
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictTuana, a professor of the history of ideas, discusses classical through late 19th-century ideas of women, showing how scientific views and religious or philosophical views have influenced and ... Read full review
Contents
Between Man and Animal | 1 |
The Weaker Vessel | 51 |
The Hysteria of Woman | 93 |
Copyright | |
5 other sections not shown
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abilities accepted According alchemical alchemists animal argued Aristotle Aristotle's attempt become believed biology birth blood body brain cause century child Christian claimed classical complex conception concerning concluded contained continued created creation creative defect desires differences discussion divine earth emotions energy equal evolution example existence explained fact faculties father female force Genesis given gives gods greater heat human husband hysteria Ibid important individual inferior influence insisted intellectual lack less lines male man's mental metaphor metaphysical mind moral mother myth nature nineteenth-century offered organs original passions perfect Philo philosophers physical placed Plato position possess principle produced provides race rational reason reproduction result role rule scientific scientists seed seen semen sense sexual skull social soul stage superior theorists theory thought tradition turn universe uterus woman woman's nature womb women Zeus