Political Thought🤯 CH4 (Mary Wollstonecraft > 1759-1797)

1 Introduction
• Mary provided >> analysis of the condition of women in modern society,
through a moral and political theory.
• Her reflections on the status of females were part of an attempt to have a
comprehensive understanding of human relations within a civilization
characterized by greed.
• She first wrote about the education of daughters, and then wrote about
politics, history, philosophy, translations, and novels, and travel accounts. Her
famous book is Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792). Generally, she
contributed to feminism.
2 Background
D Mary lived during an era in which a qualified female was expected to function
as lady’s companion, a schoolteacher, or a governess. She was not an
exception.
D Mary+ Fanny Blood+ Eliza + Everina>> established a school in 1784, but the
project encountered serious financial difficulties, and subsequently collapsed.
D Mary met the moral and political thinker, the Reverend Richard Price, and that
was an important moment in her life. She wrote Vindication of the Rights of
Men (1790) to defend Price against Edmund Burke’s criticisms of him.
D Some of her arguments in Vindication of the Rights of Women included that
women received education that failed to enable them to realize the
expectations of the society of them, and mostly guaranteed them unhappy life.
D Mary gave birth to a daughter, but she attempted to take her own life twice in
1795.
3 On Education
• she was interested in education
• she wrote about methods of teaching
• She emphasized morality and best ways to instill values in young children.
• In her book, Thoughts on the Education of Daughters (1787)
- she points that parents have the duty of >> ensuring that reason
should cultivate & govern our instincts, in order to >> prevent instincts
from running wild and turning into narcissism & self-love.
• In her book, Original Stories from Real Life
- she provided suggestions to cure the bad education provided to young
people during her time.
- She did this by talking about a story of two sisters, first left to ignorant
servants, and then placed under the instructions of a tender and
discerning woman. She showed that the two sisters changed from
being contemptuous and vain to becoming compassionate, truthful,
honorable, and respectful of the whole of God’s creation.
Generally, Mary made some specific points on education:
• Education at home is preferable
• Girls and young women need to acquire inner resources in order to make them
psychologically independent
• Universal benevolence is the first virtue; as well as faith in a beneficially
ordained universe

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Political Thought🤯 CH4 (Mary Wollstonecraft > 1759-1797)

• Need to prepare children for the most important task in life, the acquisition of
virtue
• Urged parents to strengthen their children’s characters to enhance their ability
to survive personal tragedies
• The aim of education is self-mastery, and it is the duty of parents to ensure
that their children achieve it.
4 Moral and Political Writings
D She agreed with the Reverend Richard Price that patriotism is the result of
reason, not the undirected impulse of nature. She also supported his idea of
universal benevolence, and defended it against criticism that it contradicted
the idea of one’s love of own country. She supported the call for ending
despotic rule throughout Europe.
D The views of Burke and Wollstonecraft differed on the French Revolution.
Burke feared that the emerging French National Assembly decision to
confiscate and undermine Church’s property would subsequently lead to
confiscation of the fundamental right of property, and result in anarchy, which
would then require the rise of a charismatic figure to bring to end.
Wollstonecraft, on the other hand, welcomed the Revolution.
D Additionally, Burke and Wollstonecraft differed on the nature of civil society
and political power in general. Wollstonecraft believed that government, rule
of law, and human relations could be simplified and structured, and that
supporters of liberty had to achieve this task.
D Burke, on the hand, believed that civil society consisted of countless
inexpressible links between individuals, and that the relationship between
individuals and authority is also indescribable. Burke also believed that good
political judgment is the product of experience, and therefore he cautioned
prudence in making political changes.
D Burke believed that removing established practices and institutions, and
running politics without customs and culture (without national character) is
totally wrong. Burke attempted to show that his opponents were theoretically
confused, politically naïve, and generally misinformed.
D Wollstonecraft replied to Burke’s attacks by emphasizing that God’s given
rights are discoverable by reason, unless when reason is obscured by self-love.
She believed that God made all things right, and that the cause of evil was man
himself. She argued that Burke could not see that man made poverty and
injustice. She also argued that Burke was not consistent, because he failed to
reconcile his sympathy with the American Revolution with his reaction to the
French Revolution.
D In addition to emphasizing rights, she also emphasized duties. However, she
stressed that people are not expected to perform duties unless their rights are
respected.
D She argued that only those established institutions which could withstand the
test of reason and be shown to conform to natural rights and God’s justice
deserved to receive respect and obedience.

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