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  • Chapter 4 - Ancient Women Epicureans and Their Anti-Hedonist Critics

  • Edited by Katharine R. O'Reilly, Toronto Metropolitan University, Caterina Pellò, Université de Genève
  • Book:
    Ancient Women Philosophers
    Published online:
    17 August 2023
    Print publication:
    31 August 2023, pp 77-95

  • 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.