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Plato and Feminism

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Women in Plato’s Political Theory

Abstract

Despite the fairly obvious questions which can be raised concerning the real status of women in the Guardian Class, whether they are genuinely or only superficially equal, and what is Plato’s actual perception of their intellectual capacities, his inclusion of women in the Guardian Class has led to much discussion and debate concerning the possibility of a feminist dimension to his political theory.’ This alleged feminism has rested not only on interpretations of Book V of The Republic, but to a certain extent on The Laws, where women remain private wives and mothers but are allowed a degree of participation in public life according to ability and once they are beyond childbearing years.2

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References

  1. The question of Plato’s feminism has stimulated a number of articles. These include: Christine Garside Allen, Plato on Wome? (Feminist Studies Vol. II, 1975) and Can a Woman be Good in the Same Way as a Man? (Dialogue, Vol. 10, 1971); Julia Annas, ‘Plato’s Republic and Feminism’ (Philosophy, Vol. 51, 1976); Anne Dickason, Anatomy and Destiny: The Role of Biology in Plato’s View of Wome? (Philosophical Forum, Vol. 5, 1–2, 1973–74); Christine Pierce, Equality: Republic ? (The Monist, Vol. 57, 1973); Arlene Saxonhouse, The Philosopher and the Female in the Political Thought of Plat? (Political Theory, Vol. 4, 1976). Most feminist theorists dispute the contention that Plato is feminist though some argue that a notion of femininity is to be found in his philosophy. Arlene Saxonhouse, for example, argues that Plato introduced a notion of politics which centred on maternity rather than paternity. (Saxonhouse, Women in a History of Political Thought, p. 56.) Likewise, Wendy Brown in Supposing Truth were a Woma? (Political Theory, Vol. 16, no. 4, Nov. 1988), comments that the ‘sexing’ of an

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  2. important strain of Plato’s epistemology does not mean he is a feminist but she adds that he nevertheless engages in a critique of male modes of thinking, speaking and acting. (p. 594). I have concentrated in this chapter on the arguments of Gregory Vlastos in Was Plato Feminist? (Times Literary Supplement, March 17–23, 1989) as Vlastos is the most recent scholar to make the positive assertion that Plato is a feminist, at least in terms of the proposals for the Guardian Class of the Republic.

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  3. See Plato, Law? Book Six, 780–85.

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  4. See Plato, Republi? (Penguin Classics, trans. Desmond Lee, p. 65).

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  5. Julia Annas, Plato’s Republic and Feminis? (1976), p. 314.

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  6. MacMillan, Women, Reason and Natur? (1982), p. ix.

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  7. Plato, Republic, 331b.

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  8. Allen Bloom, The Republic of Plato: An Interpretative Essa? (New York Basic Books, New York, 1968), p. 383.

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  9. Ibid., p. 383.

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  10. Pierce, Equality: Republic ? (1973), p. 10.

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  11. Plato, Republic, 451d/e.

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  12. Plato, Timaeus, 91.

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  13. Plato, Republic, 457b.

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  14. Plato, Republic, 454b.

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  15. Ibid., 455c/d.

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  16. Ibid., 451c.

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  17. Ibid., 412c.

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  18. Ibid., 460c.

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  19. Ibid., 473d.

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  20. Ibid., 485–87.

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  21. Ibid., 540c.

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  22. Ibid., 540c.

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  23. Vlastos, Was Plato Feminist? (TLS 1989), p. 276.

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  24. Plato, Republic, 457a/b.

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  25. Ibid., 519e/520.

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  26. Ibid., 462c.

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  27. Ibid., 465b.

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  28. Ibid., 460b.

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  29. Ibid., 403c.

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  30. Plato, Law? (Penguin Classics, trans. Trevor Saunders), p. 27.

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  31. Ibid., 773.

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  32. Ibid., 774.

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  33. Ibid., 804.

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  34. Ibid., 805.

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  35. Ibid., 806.

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  36. Okin (1980), p. 28.

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  37. Ibid., p. 49.

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  38. Ibid., p. 50.

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  39. Plato, Laws, 694–5.

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  40. Ibid., 695.

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  41. Ibid., 669.

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  42. Plato, Republic, 431c.

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  43. Plato, Laws, 781.

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  44. Ibid., 781.

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  45. Ibid., 781.

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  46. Ibid., 757.

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  47. Ibid., 757.

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  48. Ibid., 757.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. South Bank University, London, UK

    Morag Buchan (Senior Lecturer in Political Theory)

Authors
  1. Morag Buchan
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© 1999 Morag Buchan

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Cite this chapter

Buchan, M. (1999). Plato and Feminism. In: Women in Plato’s Political Theory. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230389267_7

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