evaluation of Aristotle’s and Plato’s Philosophies on Women
Kayla Huber Department of History Lake Forest College Lake Forest, Illinois 60045 Download PDF
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Aristotle’s biology has earned him the title of Most Acclaimed Misogynist by a vast majority of scholars. However, some individuals contend that passed judgement too quickly. Johnannes Morsink argues that Aristotle did not simply observe the natural world and then formulate a theory; instead, he attempted to reconcile the competing biological theories of his day. Morsink also states that, “Aristotle failed to see that the connection between the ‘biological inferiority’ of a woman and her alleged social and political inferiority is not at all a straight- forward one…His biology was therefore sexist in that it had pernicious consequences which Aristotle failed to challenge” (Morsink, 85). Such a claim makes the philosopher appear to be a passive bystander. In my eyes, Aristotle clearly stepped beyond the bounds of his observations and extrapolated his vague knowledge of human anatomy in order to define an individual’s capacity as a human being.

Aristotle failed to challenge the consequences of his theories because he actively promoted ideas that benefited other aristocratic white males such as himself. According to Maryanne Cline Horowitz, “…Aristotle’s belief in the mental and biological superiority of free men to both women and natural slaves, which was his ultimate justification for male rule in the household and state, gave sanction to a hierarchy of servitudes, including wifedom and slavery” (Horowitz, 187-188). In this, Aristotle’s anatomical descriptions with misogynistic overtones may have been one means of reinforcing typical patriarchal power structures. Who would not promote a system that ensures your own prosperity?

Not only are Plato’s views of women highly contested, but the term used to describe him as well. Dorothea Wender, featured in Women in the Ancient World: The Arethusa Papers, defines a feminist as “…a man or woman who believes that women should be given a ‘better’ place in society (legally, politically, professionally, etc.) or one which more closely approximates that held by men of the same class” (Wender, 213). By this definition, Plato was one of the earliest “feminist” writers. The philosopher found the soul to be sexless and he focused little of his efforts on defining the anatomical differences between men and women.

Within the Republic, Plato made a bold statement when addressing the superiority of either sex in form or ability: “…if the difference consists only in women bearing and men begetting children, this does not amount to a proof that a woman differs from a man in respect of the sort of education she should receive; and we shall therefore continue to maintain that our guardians and their wives ought to have the same pursuits” (Plato, Book V). Plato radically promoted the idea that in an ideal society, all worthy individuals would receive training and an education, regardless of sex. While Plato believed women to be physically weaker than men, he establishes in Laws that women would inevitably become more equal to men if they received appropriate training.

Plato did not align with Aristotle’s philosophy that women were created to serve in the domestic sphere. He viewed the suppression of women as a waste of human resources and denied society access to the best possible guardians (e.g. philosophers). The prospect of women thinking abstractly as well as holding positions of power was nearly unheard of during Plato’s time, which makes many of his philosophies revolutionary. However, this is not to say his works are not littered with contradictions. In Timaeus, Plato quipped that men who were cowardly and unjust in this life would certainly come back as women in the next. Wender is also keen in noting that in Republic III, Aristotle “…says that our future guardians should not imitate women acting ‘womanish’ nor slaves acting ‘slavish.’ Implication: the typical behavior of women, like that of the other major class of inferiors, is bad. Free-born men do not form a ‘class’ as slaves and women do; they are mankind; they are the species. Slaves and women are peculiar varieties, deviant form the norm” (Wender, 218). All throughout his works, Plato referred to women as secretive, inferior, irritable, crude, overly emotional, promiscuous, and poor educators.