Abstract:
Gabrielle Suchon produced the Trait茅 de la Morale et de la Politique, divis茅e en troi parties, s莽avoir la libert茅, la science, et l'autorit茅 o霉 l'on voit que les personnes du sexe pour en 锚tre priv茅es, ne laissent pas d'avoir une capacit茅 naturelle, qui les en peut rendre particpantes in 1693 with the aim of liberating women from the state of constraints, ignorance and dependence. She remarks that women have been deprived of these three aspects that all human beings naturally own. My project focuses on Suchon鈥檚 concept of liberty, the first book of her treatise.
Liberty, according to Suchon, consists in the freedom to choose a way of living according to one鈥檚 own will. However, she points out that women鈥檚 liberty is severely constrained: they are forced to choose between cloistered life or marriage as their only two potential paths. Suchon contends that the perceived inferiority of women is caused by this deprivation of liberty, preventing women from achieving their full potential. Thus, to Suchon, gender differences are a result of societal nurture rather than nature.
However, the question of how women鈥檚 liberty can be restored is not explicitly addressed in the treatise. In my ARIA project, I examine her concept of liberty of conscience to interpret how this liberty can be restored.
Statement of interest:
I am interested in Suchon due to the fact that her works were directed specifically at women, unlike most philosophical writings of the time that were mainly aimed at men. She is also the only female philosopher of her time who worked independently without a male mentor or husband. In her writings, Suchon advocates for women's entitlement to the natural rights of freedom, knowledge, and authority. She emphasizes that women can lead fulfilling lives without marriage, a way of neutral life.
Learning objectives:
My learning objectives were two. First, I hoped to learn about the writing of this interesting female philosopher who is unfortunately overshadowed by the history of philosophy; second, to strengthen my philosophical skills such as critical thinking and analytical skills of a text. At the end of my internship, I successively achieved both my learning objectives.
Highlights:
I am fascinated by Suchon鈥檚 thoughts on feminism. In her time, women have the choice of either entering a cloister or getting married- norms that are conventionally required of women to choose, not leaving them too much choice. Suchon proposes that women also possess the right of choosing a neutral life, the kind of life that they can live according to their own rational inner law of nature rather than external dictations. I think this very avant-gardist, and still relevant today.
Challenge and solution:
Suchon鈥檚 text is written in the 17th C in an older version of French. First, I found it hard to read as many spellings are slightly different from French nowadays. But even though it was hard at the beginning, I could easily understand her writings at the end.
How do you think ARIA has or will shape your future career and education path?
As a student dedicated to pursuing graduate studies after my bachelor鈥檚 degree, my ARIA project is invaluable in offering me the opportunity to further develop my skills in my field study as well as research skills in general.
Acknowledgement:
I would like to thank Prof. Shapiro and AIO for their mentorship and the invaluable workshops opportunities to sharpen my skills. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities Support Fund for making this invaluable opportunity possible.
