Wollstonecraft Flashcards
What group and with who was Wollstonecraft in ?
‘English Jacobins’ who were known a radical circle in London who debated the rights and wrongs of the French Revolution in the 1790s . With Richard Price ( 1723- 1791) and Tom Pain (1737-1809)
What writing did Wollstonecraft write?
A Vindication of the Rights of Men (1790) , An Historical and Moral View of The French Revolution (1794) and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) .
What does Wollstonecraft belief human nature is ?
They are rational animals as they possess the faculty of reason. By nature a man is ‘a social and political animal’ we are destined to live an ethical life together with other citizens in a political society or community .
What is republican virtu ?
It is only if men and women live of life virtue that they will flourish only then will they be happy
What type of independence does Wollstoncraft talk about ?
Financial / economic independence (she was a critic of the law of inheritance, preventing women from inheriting property) and moral autonomy (not having our actions determined , guided or influenced by another, taking responsibility for our own lives)
What does Wollstoncraft value ?
Independence and equality
Why should men and women be treated equally ?
They posses the same capacity for reason
What was a crituque of french revolutionaries according to Wollstonecraft?
Took the ‘rights of men’ too literally and excluded women from consideration
What was Wollstonecraft concerned about ?
With social equality and felt she should do something about poverty, economic deprivation and the wellbeing of those in lower classes.
What is slavery according to Wollstonecraft?
To be objectified and reduced to the statis of an inanimate thing or object , to become a possession or item of property , to be an instrument used by a master for his own ends or purpose and to be dominated and controlled by another .
The relationship between masters and their slaves is based on the threat of actual use of violence .
What are the four types of slavery ?
Colonial slavery , Political slavery , Domestic slavery and ‘happy slavery ‘
What is Colonial Slavery ?
Used to criticise Burke’s views regarding prescription or the idea that there must be something good about social and political institutions to have lasted so long
What is political slavery ?
Anyone who has been excluded from political society
What does Wollstonecraft say the argument justifying the exclusion of women typically is ?
Possession of the faculty of reason is essential for citizenship, women do not not possess the faculty of reason therefore their exclusion is justified.
What is domestic slavery ?
Is always in marriage where women are treated as property. Slavery is always based on force and coercion however in marriage women are subjected to pressure possibly for economic circumstances. Marriage is based on “false’ consent
