Product Description

Hypatia—brilliant mathematician, eloquent Neoplatonist, and a woman renowned for her beauty—was brutally murdered by a mob of Christians in Alexandria in 415. She has been a legend ever since. In this engrossing book, Maria Dzielska searches behind the legend to bring us the real story of Hypatia's life and death, and new insight into her colorful world.

Historians and poets, Victorian novelists and contemporary feminists have seen Hypatia as a symbol—of the waning of classical culture and freedom of inquiry, of the rise of fanatical Christianity, or of sexual freedom. Dzielska shows us why versions of Hypatia's legend have served her champions' purposes, and how they have distorted the true story. She takes us back to the Alexandria of Hypatia's day, with its Library and Museion, pagan cults and the pontificate of Saint Cyril, thriving Jewish community and vibrant Greek culture, and circles of philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, and militant Christians. Drawing on the letters of Hypatia's most prominent pupil, Synesius of Cyrene, Dzielska constructs a compelling picture of the young philosopher's disciples and her teaching. Finally she plumbs her sources for the facts surrounding Hypatia's cruel death, clarifying what the murder tells us about the tensions of this tumultuous era.

Customer Reviews (11)

Hypatia of Alexandria
Very scholarly. Also written very well. It cuts through the centuries of distortion. An excellent study!

Interesting edit of an excellent book
The other reviews highlighting the quality of scholarship are correct.It is an excellent book.

Still, I have a story that I would like to share. The copy that I read was borrowed from the local public library.What merits mention are the edits performed on the book by a previous patron.That person had systematically changed every occurrence of "pagan" with a lower case "p" to "Pagan" with an upper case "p" and penciled out "St." every time Dzielska referred to some personage as "Saint X."Whatever my annoyance at the defacement of the library's book, the result demonstrated to the subsequent reader how apparently neutral linguistic conventions can be construed as embodying a certain Christian religious viewpoint.

Sweeping away the myths of Hypatia with serious scholarship
The author is an expert on the history of the Roman Empire, and describes well the dangerous nature of Alexandrian politics during the Greek and Roman periods. The bishop Cyril comes off as a powerhungry political figure who used religion for his own ends. There is evidence that Hypatia supported the prefect Orestes in opposition to him, and that Cyril mounted a slander campaign against her for this, and his political attacks on her are the more likely reason why she was murdered.

I find Maria Dzielska's book to be an honest survey of the scarce knowledge surrounding the enigmatic figure of Hypatia, and places her into the history and culture of the time. It sweeps away much of the myth surrounding her person. I highly recommend this book.

Refreshing, academic and balanced
The contentious figure ofHypatia is dealt with as well as could be hoped given such scant extant documentation. The author, however, writes well and develops as clear a narrative line as possible and depicts the importance and probable conflicts of Hypatia's life without the mythologizing and hero worship sought after by those would would prefer her to be a 'feminist' or 'pagan martyr'. It is refreshing when historians show the complexity of history, which is amoral, and also acknowledge that our interpretations are often at best flawed given the passage of time. Reading this book will whet your appetite for further reading on the time period.

One of History's Great Women
Whether your interest is women scholars or female scientists in antiquity, Christian history or pagan philosophy, this book is a major eye-opener.Hypatia--and all her female colleagues--deserve to be remembered, and Dzielska deserves credit for helping preserve their story. ... Read more

Product Description
In the late fourth and early fifth centuries of our era, Hypatia of Alexandria was the world's greatest living mathematician and astronomer. A strikingly beautiful woman and a devoted celibate, she lived in a city as turbulent and troubled as Baghdad or Beirut is today. She achieved fame not only in her special field, but also as a philosopher, religious thinker, and teacher who attracted a large popular following. Her life ended tragically in violence at the hands of a rampaging mob of Christian fanatics, who killed her for her "pagan" beliefs, some say at the instigation of St. Cyril of Alexandria.

This is the first biography of Hypatia to integrate all aspects of her life. Mathematician Michael Deakin emphasizes that, though she was a philosopher, she was first and foremost a mathematician and astronomer of great accomplishment. In a fascinating narrative that brings to life a richly diverse ancient society, he describes her work so that the mathematics, presented in straightforward terms, finds its true place in the context of her life as a whole. Deakin supplies full detail on the historical, intellectual, and religious context of Hypatia's times. He also analyzes the pattern of her life and thought, and finally gives an account of the events leading up to her lynch-mob execution.

Although this outrageous crime has made Hypatia a powerful symbol of intellectual freedom and feminist aspiration to this day, Deakin makes clear that the important intellectual contributions of her life's work should not be overshadowed by her tragic death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Lost World of Hypatia
The disappointing thing about this book is the lack of a good narrative. The problem is that there is so little known about Hypatia and her world that not a lot can be said. Try to imagine a colony in Egypt of mostly Greek ethnicity, where pagans and Christians both fought and coexisted and interacted, if not always well, with a Jewish minority. The culture was in decline and the science, such as it was, died with Hypatia. This resembles the contemporary USA more than Egypt or any place in North Africa or the Middle East today. The academic mathematics community has become utterly moribund and it is being followed by theoretical physics (see Lee Smolin's book "The Trouble with Physics"). Who is our version of Hypatia? Perhaps Lynn Margulis, a biologist whe dares to be different.

Very good
This book is very good. The historical context about Hypatia's time and life is very interesting. Read this book, you'll learn much more about the christian's church in the first times.

A specialist's view
This is a difficult book to evaluate. Deakin is a mathematician, not a classical historian, and apart from his discussion of Hypatia's place in Alexandrian mathematics, this biography contains little that is not already to be found elsewhere, most notably in Maria Dzielska's study. Deakin does a reasonable job of putting Hypatia in a cultural context, but his understanding of late antiquity is superficial and admittedly garnered largely from encyclopedias. On the other hand, he has closely studied the sources for Hypatia's life (which he includes in an appendix) and the meagre evidence for her influence on philosophy and science. His introduction to astrolabes and conic sections is of some intrinsic interest and helps illuminate the state of knowledge in the fifth century, but since we have not one shred of writing that is inarguably Hypatia's work, the connection is rather tenuous. Nonetheless Deakin's conclusions give a valuable new perspective on this best-known of female Hellenists: one of a teacher with a wide range of interests, if not an original thinker. ... Read more

Product Description
Volume: 1Publisher: Boston : Crosby, NicholsPublication date: 1854Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description

“A riveting character study and a haunting vision of an enlightened society on the brink of the Dark Ages.”—Yale Bookstore Author Series

The Roman Empire is crumbling, the fragments of the classical world regrouping in Egypt when Thasos, son of an ill-fated scholar, meets Hypatia of Alexandria. Astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher at a time when women were shunned from learning, Hypatia is a daring visionary in a world about to change forever.

As an insidious power-struggle erupts between church and state Hypatia finds herself at the forefront of battle, but she is not alone. Those who cherish her, who will remember her, become her allies – including the powerful Governor Orestes, who keeps his consuming love for her as secret as she keeps her feelings from him.

Remembering Hypatia is a vivid retelling of a now-forgotten historical tragedy, when courage stood against fear, when the legacy of the wise vanished in the dark. Author Brian Trent resurrects the ancient world's most famous metropolis and explores the final days, not just of a brilliant mind, but of a lost era. . .

Customer Reviews (22)

Fantastic Read
This book does a great job in blending fact and fiction, creating a wonderfully written story about a lesser-known yet extremely tragic historical event. Highly recommended.

Just couldn't get into this one
I got to about page 70 before giving up on this one. I just couldn't get into the characters, partly because -- for me -- there was too much "romance" and too little history. Or perhaps it was merely a case of wrong expectations. I assumed, from the title that it was set in ancient Eqypt while in fact it takes place in 414 A.D., a period in which I have little interest. I should have realized that, but I have to admit I was unfamiliar with the history of the Great Library of Alexandria or Hypatia herself.

I do applaud the author for tackling such a challenging topic and for obviously wanting to shed light on this incredible woman.

The early fifth century is not 'Ancient Egypt'
This novel should more accurately be subtitled 'A Novel of Roman Egypt.' One might generously suppose that this was a marketing scheme, beyond Mr Trent's control, if not for the general pococurantism of the work. This glaring error exemplifies the sense of overall carelessness in research and detail. If one desires a light read, this novel may be an appropriate choice; however, any reader with or desiring knowledge of this remarkable women, her genius and her environs should try Dr Michael Deakin's 'Hypatia of Alexandria.'

I fell in love with Hypatia...
It is a tragic love story that would bring Shakespeare to tears.I highly recommend it.It will hold a very special place in the hearts of readers interested in mathematics.

Hauntingly and timelessly inspirational....
Finally, a pretty damn good depiction of Hypatia.Extra kudos to Brian Trent for actually being one of the few men who can WRITE a woman character/protagonist as a fully developed character complete with acumen and sensuality.Trent's Hypatia echoes actual historic fact, weaving it realisitically into a very plausible historical fiction.Trent writes Hypatia as if he actually knew her.

Trent's dressings of other actual historical characters are believably scary.Cyril embodies religious despotic zealot, which is an paradigmatic archetype still frighteningly valid for our own era.The orchestrated murder of Hypatia resonates today as a black mark not just on the history of the Catholic Church, but that of the entire world.Trent's retelling of Hypatia's life and death is a lesson in true martyrdom that we would all do well to remember. ... Read more

Product Description
NOTE FROM PUBLISHER

Dear Readers, "Volume 1" does not belong in the title of "Flow Down Like
Silver."  As the publisher, we offer our apology for any confusion this has
caused, but multiple attempts to correct this problem with Amazon have
met with failure thus far.

Please understand there is ONLY one book, it is NOT a series. The proper
title is "Flow Down Like Silver: Hypatia of Alexandria" by Ki Longfellow.

Sincerely,
Shane Roberts
Publisher, Eio Books


From the dawn of history, countless women have marked their times in extraordinary ways. Women have been warriors, Pharaohs, popes, queens and kings, philosophers, poets, mathematicians, composers, painters, writers, revolutionaries and "witches."

But there was only one HYPATIA.

Brilliant, beautiful, accomplished and free, Hypatia of Alexandria was the last of the great Pagan teachers. Her brutal death at the hands of a Christian mob foretold the death of reason, of questioning, of reverence for nature, of the Goddess herself.

Following her acclaimed novel "The Secret Magdalene," Ki Longfellow now offers a stunning portrait of the life and death of Hypatia of Alexandria. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Late into the night
I lay in bed reading this, living in this book as if nothing else existed - which is the best kind of book.In my own bed, I traveled the world with a magnificent, flawed, heroic, brilliant woman who has hardly been heard of, even with a major motion picture made about her.But what happened to that film?The Church managed to keep Agora bottled up, almost unseen, even though at least in Spain it was a huge hit.Now you can only see it on DVD.Thank God for the latest technology.And here is the book that will take you farther and deeper into Hypatia and her world.Full of beautiful imagery and wonderful heart-breaking characters, this is a book for the ages.It's different than Longfellow's other wonderful book, The Secret Magdalene: A Novel, but it's no less good.

Bodice-ripper Hypatia
Let me start by saying the author's writing is excellent.Great descriptives, I like the individual narratives, but what really disappoints is the story and character of Hypatia.

If you're looking for the heroic Hypatia of history, who had the backbone of steel to stand up to men at a time where simply being a woman meant you were someone else's property, to teach men, to mortify a puppy-love admirer in front of his peers and to become the very symbol of paganism and philosophy and open learning that made her a bullseye for early Christian fundamentalist fanatics, you're not going to find that woman in this book.Stick with the movie.

In this book, you'll find a bodice-ripper, in-the-style-of-Danielle-Steele heroine with her absent, Milquetoast, father, a woman who is passive to everything that happens to her (think of what you know happens to bodice-ripper romance heroines and you already know what happens to Hypatia), who thinks outrageous thoughts but never acts on them nor even speaks up when wrongs are done her, who questions the universe but never questions what a stranger is doing in her own household, passing him off negligently in the style of Scarlet O'Hara, whose siblings keep rather important things from her because "Oh, she'll find out"and misguided loyalties.

Gods, this was an awful characterization of her.An insult to the real Hypatia.

Skip this book.

a life of intellectual curiosity, integrity and courage
More of the rich storytelling and compelling research that Ki Longfellow brought to her previous book, "The Secret Magdalene". Unlike "Magdalene", "Flow Down Like Silver" is told through, not one, but several 1st-person witnesses - Hypatia herself, plus intimates and acquaintances of the legendary mathematician/philosopher during the latter half of her life. This approach tempers a bit of the reader's emotional empathy for the principal character, offering in its place the intimate perceptions of several who came within her sphere of influence. Hypatia is portrayed as a lovely and guileless intellectual with a streak of heroic stubbornness. Her existential example of a life lived with integrity and authenticity provokes admiration, fear and even wonder in those who encounter her.

5th century Alexandria becomes as much a character in this tale as any one individual, much as 1st-century Palestine came so alive in The Secret Magdalene. The principal conflict between the tolerant, intellectual agnosticism represented by Hypatia, and the reactionary intolerance of the rising Christian sects offers obvious and troubling parallels with today's world.

The story leaves us with the intriguing possibility and fervent hope that some of Hypatia's own writings, and perhaps books of the once great Library, are waiting somewhere under the Egyptian desert to one day be recovered.

A real page turner
Really enjoyed this book and the author's captivating style of writing.The quality of the binding on the book, however, was not great and pages began falling out of my paperback as I was reading.Contacted Amazon and they quickly replaced the book with no hassle, allowing me to finish the book without the distraction of "falling leaves".Bought this book because of the publicity over the movie Agora recently released, depicting Hypatia of Alexandria's life.By buying this book, out of curiosity, I have found an author well worth reading...inspiring me to purchase another of her books, The Secret Magdalen.Both books richly woven with interesting details.

DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK
Gentle Readers, DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!

The beautiful story and character development that Ki Longfellow accomplishes in her writing is not by accident; it is by astounding research, tenacity, mental brilliance and Ki's own gnosis.
I became so deeply involved along the path of this moving story that at times I felt waves of lightheadedness wash over me as if "veils" of the past were being lifted.
I had the same sensation in reading The Secret Magdalene: A Noveland upon finishing it, started right back at the beginning to read it again.
The understanding of political and religious pressure in such an ancient time became reflective to me of what is going on in the world view today in many ways.
And when I understand that Hypatia was a female in those times, this mighty story becomes even more terrible and fascinating.
The thing that I found disquieting was the amount of ancient knowledge of which I am unaware. When you go to the reference area in the back of the book, you will see the kind of research Longfellow goes through for her readers and herself.

I am so looking forward to the next book in this series about the life of
Mary Magdalene after the death of Jesus, called "The Woman Who Knew The All" by Ki Longfellow.
Mary Costello-Martinez






... Read more

Product Description

On a November night in Egypt, 414 A.D., one of history's most brilliant individuals was assassinated. Her name was Hypatia, teacher and scientist at the fabled Great Library of Alexandria and the last glimmer of hope before the Dark Ages.

The Roman Empire is crumbling, the fragments of the classical world regrouping in Egypt when Thasos, son of an ill-fated scholar, meets Hypatia of Alexandria. Astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher at a time when women were shunned from learning, Hypatia is a daring visionary in a world about to change forever.

As an insidious power-struggle erupts between church and state Hypatia finds herself at the forefront of battle, but she is not alone. Those who cherish her, who will remember her, become her allies - including the powerful Governor Orestes, who keeps his consuming love for her as secret as she keeps her feelings for him.

Lady Philosopher: The Story of Hypatia is a vivid retelling of a now-forgotten historical tragedy, when courage stood against fear, when the legacy of the wise vanished in the dark. Author Brian Trent resurrects the ancient world's most famous metropolis and explores the final days, not just of a brilliant mind, but of a lost era.

BASED ON THE TRUE STORY

... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Wonderful Novel about Hypatia of Alexandria
One of the most heartfelt and informative historical novels I've read, and about a little-known time-period to boot! Clever characterizations with great chemistry, and a sense of loss and tragedy that the author conveys with lyrical skill. Truly a great novel.

Same book - different title.
This is the same book that he published 5 years ago with the title Remembering Hypatia: A Novel of Ancient Egypt.
I was not pleased and feel that I was misled by the change in title, publisher and publication date.I believed it was a further exploration into the philosophy of Hypatia.

While the book is good, under either title, it is definitely not worth $25 to reread the same text with a few editing changes.Can someone enlighten me?Why was this done and is it done by other authors and novels?

Luckily Amazon was quite willing to have the book returned with a full refund! ... Read more

Product Description
A History of Women in Science from Antiquity through the Nineteenth Century ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Book
The author has put together a comprehensive review of women, more or less lost from history, who participated in the sciences.The book is loosely structured around time periods, covering antiquity through the 18th century.The book contains many references and she clearly states her sources.Some of the more questionable (rabbinical tradition) were probably better left out.In any case, since she states the source, the reader can decide for herself.

A Woman Scientist's Point of View
If you are a woman with any interest at all in the sciences (mathematics and philosophy included), then please read this book. I expected a strongly feministic "the man is holding me down" revision of history. I found a well-balanced and well-documented account of the content and context of the science and scientific lives of women who history has forgotten. I am a 36 year old female scientist, who for the first time has found a source of inspirational female role models in this book. Look, things weren't so good in the past for women. But let's not remain in denial and let's not rewrite the past. Let's read even-handed historical accounts, such as the one presented in this book, and then let's make healthy, well-balanced decisions about how society should best move forward.

A pretty crummy book ....
I rated this book at one star only because amazon.com doesn't allow a reviewer the option of zero stars.The author of this book is a biochemist -- not a trained historian -- and her amateurism certainly shows, particulary in the early chapters where a competent historian would be careful in the assessment of the historicity of sources.So Alic retails a tradition -- presented as though it has a factual basis -- about Moses and his wife operating a medical school in Egypt.Never mind that there is virtually no evidence independent of the Bible that Moses even existed.Perhaps needless to say that the Bible contains no mention of said medical school.Shortly thereafter readers are told that Cleopatra studied human anatomy and physiology by dissecting condemned prisoners alive.The source for this horror story turns out to be a rabbinical tradition -- scarcely an unbiased source when dealing with Greeks or Greek culture.The rest of the book is at best naive hagiography. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A very good resourse
This book is the required textbook for Unity's Life of Prayer class. I found it a good source of information. There are some useful exercises in the later chapters. I would say it is a resource book you would benefit from having on your shelf. I plan to keep a copy for future use.

One of the most important books on your shelf
One of the best books you will ever have in your libarary. It is an excellent reference material for your spiritual workouts.I higly recommended for the beginner prayer who is trying to renew their minds to ahigher awarness. ... Read more

Product Description
The daughter of mathematician Theon, Hypatia grew up on the northern tip of Egypt in the great city of Alexandria in the 4th century A.D. Unlike most girls of her time, Hypatia learned to read and write, and as she grew older was tutored in mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. In time, word spread of her brilliance and scholars from all over the world came to her seeking her advice and opinions in these subjects. Records of her fame as a teacher can be found in the writings of Socrates. One of her most famous students, Synesius, developed the astrolabe under her direction. ... Read more

Product Description
1852. This remarkable work examines the life and times of Hypatia, child of God and illuminator of mankind. Set in the early 5th century AD, the events and personalities of that important turning point in Western Civilization are presented in great mystical detail. There is a great lesson portrayed in the book and it is about to be repeated in our time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A well crafted classic, polemic, & horrific history
I wish the Rev. Charles Kingsley were here to speak for his book ... but it's a century and a half since he wrote it ... I might not do it justice but I'll do what I can ...

I found a copy of this book at a garage sale and wondered what is HypatiaIn Kingsley's preface he suggests that aninnocent or tender reader might rather not know.It was a violent era,those first five hundred years after the time of Jesus. Kingsley is right. Even more than I wish I didn't know, I wish this didn't happen.

One ofthe best things the author says in the whole book is an aside to one of thefaithful cautioning that this church might not be God's.You read it andsee if you hear it that way. Probably Kingsley didn't like the CatholicChurch anyway.I can't say that I blame him right now.

As the Romanempire settled into its form of Christianity, social conflicts resembledthe teachings of Jesus not at all.They much more resembled issues ofpower, acqusition of land, holding of influence.

I wonder how I couldlive half a lifetime and not know Hypatia's story.For some reason, I amenraged to learn her story from a prolific church writer.

Kingsleywrites well enough.He takes a true historical horror and wraps it inplot.I could point to the characters as archetypes and symbols thatconstellate around various types of betrayal of beauty or truth.

Kingsleycreates a fiction to wrap the unthinkable truth.Then he messes a bit withthe history and the clerical consciousness of the times and in that, he maybe well informed.

Kingsley's portrayal of Hypatia's murder reads moreeuphemistically than the histories I found using a search engineonline.

The already plundered and dominated pagans and Goths were fastbecoming the 'minorities' subject to Roman ethnic cleansing.In fact, manyof the seasonal celebrations of the pagan religions were co-opted as weknow to drag people into the state religion.

Hypatia, the graceful,scholarly, astute, and renown daughter of a father who believed ineducation no matter the gender of the child ...Hypatia, called TheMathematician, becomes an illustrious teacher in Alexandria ...

herdeath at the hands of an enraged mob is seen as the end of the classicalera and the beginning of the dark dark ages ... it is a dark story.I hatethat this story can be true.

Kingsley gives us Hypatia as she lectures,counsels Orestes, and ignores the jealous and hostile church men who seemto play Iago/Saliere to her genius, health, and scholarly devotion.WhileHypatia enrages them for her celibacy she is also suspected by them,Kingsley suggests, of sharing more than counsel with the governor.Thisfantasy of her influence may have been what made her dangerous enough tomurder.

Who knows ... whether she was as dangerous as these hostilerivals found her to be.Certainly she threatened them to the extent thatthey had to look in her mirror and see themselves.

Kingsley's Hypatia'sis tragic because her flaw is a pride in her aristocracy and freedom ofthought and opinion.She either did not accept or did not notice theexclusive claims of this new religion on her mind and opinions.

Too badfor her, she gets murdered in the cruelest manner.

History speculates,but no one really knows, that Peter the Reader and Cyril the bishop (laterSt. Cyril I believe) intended to and did incite the mob against Hypatia. Thus ending the life of their rival for the governor's ear ... and thepeople's.

Kingsley apparently believes or allows the reader to speculatethat the churchmen orchestrated this murder and blamed the mob for it.

Unlike St. Joan, Hypatia was not elevated later by a guilty church.Iwas surprised to find that Kingsley takes us, with one of his charaters,right into the church where Hypatia was dragged, defenseless, stripped ofher clothing, and cut to pieces by a mob, we think, of Christians wieldingtiles made of mollusk shells ... other sources say these people scraped herflesh from her bones with these weapons ...

Euphemistic as Kingsley'sscene in the church is, Hypatia screams until she dies and then her bodyburned.I supposed this book needs to be read now, sickening andheartbreaking as it is, because now we need to look at our species and thethings we have done in the name of righteousness.

When our conflictsare truly about power, resources, position, image, our righteousness is apoor disguise.No one believes it any more.

And hatred for independentthinking and aloof beauty, is, well, certainly not God's work or love'swork, and is not welcome on the planet.

It is no wonder we've had torehabilitate a belief in our little daughters that they can, after all, domath.There'a memory to heal by facing it.

Yes, the church torturedand burned women to death.And sometimes other people who were hated forsome scapegoating reason ... This is true.In Hypatia's case, there'sevidently no historical acknowledgement of the church's role.

Otherwise,Hypatia might also be sainted today.But I cannot think she'd like that. Do I recommend Kingsley's book?I cannot recommend it any more thanKingsley does in his preface.

But here is another dark truth we need toknow.It is a part of who we are, I think. ... Read more

Product Description

"... a welcome addition to the literature." -- Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences

"... ideologically diverse selection of readings... " -- Times Literary Supplement (London)

"The essays are balanced, challenging, well-argued, and well-written. They ably and accessibly represent feminist contributions to medical ethics... "  -- Religious Studies Review

"... fascinating... thought-provoking... " -- Nursing Times

"A stimulating book for those women and men (feminist and non-feminist) interested in medical ethics." -- Maternal and Child Health

"... landmark [event] in bioethics... "  -- Women & Health

The aim of this volume is to show how a feminist perspective advances biomedical ethics by uncovering inconsistencies in traditional argument and by arguing for the importance of hitherto ignored factors in decision making. These essays include both theory and very specific examples that demonstrate the glaring inadequacy of mainstream medical ethics.

Product Description

The essays in this volume bring to their focuses on philosophical issues the new angles of vision created by the multicultural, global, and postcolonial feminisms that have been developing around us. These multicultural, global, and postcolonial feminist concerns transform mainstream notions of experience, human rights, the origins of philosophic issues, philosophic uses of metaphors of the family, white antiracism, human progress, scientific progress, modernity, the unity of scientific method, the desirability of universal knowledge claims, and other ideas central to philosophy.

Product Description

"I think many people would find it a useful resource, both in terms of information on particular philosophers and as a point of inspiration for designing courses that incorporate the work of women philosophers.... I expect I will refer individual students to this book as a resource for their own work and I will consult it in designing future courses." -- Teaching Philosophy

"With intelligence and agility, the writers [present] female thinkers who influenced the famous (male) philosophers of their respective ages. This should become a standard text in both philosophy and women's studies classes and will have great appeal to lay readers as well. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal

This study of women philosophers from the Middle Ages to the 20th century covers a wide spectrum of ideas -- from religion, to evolution, to political theory. This unique volume brings creative women thinkers into mainstream discussions of the history of philosophy. Contributors examine the work of, among others, Hildegard of Bingen, Vicountess Conway, Sor Juana, Mary Wollstonecraft, Hannah Arendt, Angela Davis, and Hypatia herself.

Customer Reviews (1)

there is a gaping hole in this book...
I checked Hypatia's Daughters out of the library some time ago.Philosophy is a semi-hobby of mine and I thought it was great that there was a survey of women in philosophy.This is until I went through the table of contents and index and found that Ayn Rand isn't even mentioned, not once.I'm not an objectivist by any stretch of the imagination, but Ayn Rand is the single most influential female philosopher of at least the last few hundred years.Love or or hate her, she is definitely more influential than Angela Davis, who gets a chapter of her own.I don't know what other female philosophers have been edited out of existence, but this book is not what it claims to be. ... Read more

Product Description

Here feminist philosophers and ecofeminist scholars pursue the connections between feminism and environmentalism. Topics include the ecofeminist ethic; the role of patriarchal concepts in perpetuating the domination of women and nature; the grassroots origins and character of a thoughtful ecofeminism; the "ecofeminism-deep ecology debate" in environmental philosophy; deep ecological treatment of animal rights and the omission of ecofeminist analyses of the domination of animals, abortion, and nuclear deterrence; and ways ecofeminism and the science of ecology are or could be engaged in complementary, supportive projects.

The contributors are Carol J. Adams, Carol H. Cantrell, Jim Cheney, Chris Cuomo, Deane Curtin, Victoria Davion, Roger J. H. King, Stephanie Lahar, Patricia Jagentowicz Mills, Patrick D. Murphy, Val Plumwood, Catherine Roach, Robert Sessions, Deborah Slicer, and Karen J. Warren.

Product Description

"A first-rate introduction to the field, accessible to scholars working from a variety of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives. Highly recommended... " -- Choice

"... offers both broad theoretical considerations and applications to specific art forms, diverse methodological perspectives, and healthy debate among the contributors.... [an] outstanding volume."  -- Philosophy and Literature

"... this volume represents an eloquent and enlightened attempt to reconceptualize the field of aesthetic theory by encouraging its tendencies toward openness, self-reflexivity and plurality." -- Discourse & Society

"All of the authors challenge the traditional notion of a pure and disinterested observer that does not allow for questions of race/ethnicity, class, sexual preference, or gender." -- Signs

These essays examine the intellectual traditions of the philosophy of art and aesthetics. Containing essays by scholars and by the writer Marilyn French, the collection ranges from the history of aesthetic theory to a philosophical reflection on fashion. The contributions are unified by a sustained scrutiny of the nature of "feminist," "feminine," or "female" art, creativity, and interpretation.

Customer Reviews (1)

Diverse perspectives in an outstanding collection
"Has feminism been hijacked by one lock-step agenda, suppressing all dialogue and debate? Far from it, judging from this collecton of seventeen essays on feminist aesthetics. . . . This well-organized volume offers both broad theoretical considerations and applications to specific art forms, diverse methodological perspectives, and healthy debate among the contributors." -- from my review for Philosophy and Literature, Vol. 19 (April 1995) pp. 178-179 ... Read more

Product Description
Feminist Ethics and Social Policy presents complex social issues in light of a feminist ethical perspective. The spirited essays collected here critique gender blindness and biases in traditional ethical theory while developing more gender-sensitive theories and concepts. Taken together, they conceptualize issues of right action, social justice, and the human good out of the specifically gendered experience of diverse groups of women. ... Read more