Book contents
- Ancient Women Philosophers
- Ancient Women Philosophers
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Beyond Gender
- Chapter 2 Sulabhā and Indian Philosophy
- Chapter 3 Women’s Medical Knowledge in Antiquity
- Chapter 4 Ancient Women Epicureans and Their Anti-Hedonist Critics
- Chapter 5 Arete of Cyrene and the Role of Women in Philosophical Lineage
- Chapter 6 Women at the Crossroads
- Chapter 7 Pythagorean Women and the Domestic as a Philosophical Topic
- Chapter 8 Perictione, Mother of Metaphysics
- Chapter 9 Not Veiled in Silence
- Chapter 10 Women Philosophers and Ideals of Being a Woman in Neoplatonic Schools of Late Antiquity
- Chapter 11 Reappraising Ban Zhao
- Chapter 12 The Reception of Plato on Women
- References
- Index
Chapter 4 - Ancient Women Epicureans and Their Anti-Hedonist Critics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 August 2023
- Ancient Women Philosophers
- Ancient Women Philosophers
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Beyond Gender
- Chapter 2 Sulabhā and Indian Philosophy
- Chapter 3 Women’s Medical Knowledge in Antiquity
- Chapter 4 Ancient Women Epicureans and Their Anti-Hedonist Critics
- Chapter 5 Arete of Cyrene and the Role of Women in Philosophical Lineage
- Chapter 6 Women at the Crossroads
- Chapter 7 Pythagorean Women and the Domestic as a Philosophical Topic
- Chapter 8 Perictione, Mother of Metaphysics
- Chapter 9 Not Veiled in Silence
- Chapter 10 Women Philosophers and Ideals of Being a Woman in Neoplatonic Schools of Late Antiquity
- Chapter 11 Reappraising Ban Zhao
- Chapter 12 The Reception of Plato on Women
- References
- Index
Summary
This chapter investigates ancient accounts of women Epicureans and considers how critics of Epicureanism attempted to undermine hedonism by sexualizing their accounts of the school’s women. The misogyny directed at women Epicureans was noteworthy insofar as its primary goal seems not to have been to undermine the women themselves but rather to undermine the school’s main ethical tenets; in other words, anti-hedonists used misogyny as a tool for philosophical criticism. The chapter aims to show that, despite the scarcity of extant philosophical works by Epicurean women, there is still much to be gained from studying the extant accounts of their activities and relationships: we stand to deepen our understanding of the place of women in the school, particularly our knowledge of how they were viewed by other members, as well as our understanding of the polemical tactics employed by ancient critics of Epicurean hedonism.
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- Ancient Women PhilosophersRecovered Ideas and New Perspectives, pp. 77 - 95Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023
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