New Voices in the History of Philosophy

In this episode, Mary Purcell talks with Anik Waldow, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney. Professor Waldow introduces Marie de Gournay, a French philosopher and writer at the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century. They discuss Gournay's emphasis on the importance of alliances in the pursuit of personal flourishing as well as her views on the relationship between reason and virtue, self-identity, and intellectual courage. 

In this episode, Maheshi speaks with Professor Emily Thomas at Durham University about Victoria Welby, a female metaphysician belonging to the 20th century. We discuss her worldview of motion, the idea of motion as energy, and a connection of motion to both time and space. Welby used her "philosophical salon" to discuss her metaphysics and build an extensive intellectual network. Emily makes a novel contribution to Welby's metaphysics by bringing attention to a cohesive link on motion with matter, mind, space, change, and time.

In this episode, Jacinta speaks with Jennifer Wang, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Simon Fraser University, about her recent published work on the intersection between Confucian role ethics and contemporary analytic metaphysics. Associate Professor Wang explains Confucius’s historical context, before distinguishing between his teachings and how they’re interpreted by scholars of classical Chinese philosophy today. She talks about Confucius’ resources for understanding personhood, and how the novel approach of engaging with his teachings within an analytic framework not only opens up new philosophical possibilities, but makes Confucius’ thought accessible for a modern audience. Associate Professor Wang wraps up the episode by sharing available resources for getting into classical Chinese philosophy, and advice for researchers who are considering breaking new ground in philosophy.

In this episode Maheshi speaks with Professor Julia Jorati at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, about the Effects of Slavery on enslaved people and on eighteenth-century antislavery arguments. We discuss about what is meant by the effects-of-slavery strategy, it's potential drawbacks and whether at all this strategy can be useful for antislavery purposes. Julia's work has played an important role in trying to understand oppressive structures and the effects that these structures can have by discussing insights from people who had first-hand experience of enslavement and racism in this period.

In this episode, Jacinta speaks with Sabrina Ebbersmeyer, Professor of Philosophy at Copenhagen University, about the perceived suitability of women for philosophy in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially in the Nordic and German context. We focus on two key figures, philosophers Anna Maria van Schurman and Elizabeth of Bohemia, and one key concept, ingenium. Professor Ebbersmeyer goes in depth about how philosophers thought about ingenium during this period (today we might use a different phrase such as talent, or ingeniousness), and she talks about how Schurman cleverly turned the concept to her own purpose of advocating for women’s education. Elisabeth of Bohemia, on the other hand, was held up as an exemplar of ingenium during her time. Professor Ebbersmeyer wraps up the episode with her thoughts on the importance of including women philosophers in philosophy curriculums, and how impactful it is for female students to be presented with them.