Philosophysm Daily - Mary Wollstonecraft

in #philosophy7 years ago

Feminism has become a notable cause of the modern era, and though there have been great strides in the push for gender equality, it all started with the very valid thinking of Mary Wollstonecraft - today's philosopher


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Mary was one of the first voices to publicly speak out against the pseudoscience of male supremacy that existed during the 18th century. During that time, men were justified to be the better sex because of their physicality - yes, muscles were an excuse for mass social inequality! Mary, however, wasn't fooled by this and began to write on the subject of gender.

She drew on new knowledge about how humans acquired information, and argued that if a person grows from experience and education then, regardless of their bodily attributes, their mind is working and improving. That being said, she went on to express the mind as being a gender-less utility capable of doing the same thing whether belonging to a man or woman.

Of course, this is common knowledge in today's world, but 250 years ago this kind of thinking was frowned upon - to suggest that women and men had similar brains, minds, and mental capacity was an absurdity. Unfortunately Mary Wollstonecraft's theories and writings weren't given much repute or acknowledgement - but they did go on to inspire many influential feminists, and pave the way for the mass movement of gender equality.


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Mary Wollstonecraft did not receive the credit she deserved, but her story is both reason to rejoice and fight. Society has come along way since Mary's time, we have made large steps in gender equality, yet there is still so much to do. Most importantly, above rights and laws, is the mentality we hold towards genders - at the end of the day we are all humans, sure some us piss standing up, and some piss sitting down - but we are all flesh and blood, we are all heart and mind, and it is up to us as individuals to recognize that within the other, and respect it as we (hopefully)respect ourselves.

Thank you for reading! Please share your views on gender equality in the comments section - I know its a touchy subject, but dialogue is an essential part of the process. If you enjoyed the article, leave a like or resteem it far and wide!

Till next time... Stay woke!

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