Women and Stoicism

Some people seem to believe that Stocism is not a universal philosophy, but a maleoriented one. It is about being tough and perhaps being less caring of others and, at times, justifying violence. And then there are those who believe that Stoic texts are sexist because the material is almost exclusively addressed to men.

I won’t go into the reasons why Stoicism got to be interpreted by some in these ways here but will just deal with these perceptions in the historical context.

Do some women exclude themselves?

What should concern us most here is that these beliefs perhaps prevent many women from fully participating in a philosophy that can uplift our lives to a level not experienced otherwise.

There is some empirical evidence to show that proportionately fewer women are involved in Stoicism than men. It is a fact that in most social media the ratio of men to women is something like 5:1 or 3:1. It is also true of subscribers to THE STOIC. When I started THE STOIC magazine, I tried to have an equal number of men and women on the advisory board. I asked 10 men and 9 of them agreed to be on the board. But to get 9 women on the board, I had to approach 18 women.

It would appear that not only some men would exclude women, but so would some women themselves. This is unfortunate. For historical reasons, people who studied Stoicism in ancient Greece and Rome were mostly men. As a result, Stoic teachings appear to be addressed to men. It is also possible that some Stoic writings reflect the cultural narrative of the time, accepted without close examination, just as we accept the cultural narratives of our time.

Yet I believe that the perception that Stoicism is more relevant to men than to women is more a perception than reality. In my study of Stoicism, I have not found a single principle that would apply to men and not to women.

Does Stoicism exclude women?

Historically, Stoicism never excluded women. This even goes back to Cynicism, in many ways a forerunner of Stoicism.

Hipparchia

Hipparchia, a Cynic philosopher, was the wife of Crates, under whom Zeno first studied philosophy. When she went into a symposium, Theodorus, the atheist, mocked her, implying that women don’t belong in philosophy:

Who is the woman who has left behind the shuttles of the loom?

Without batting an eye, Hipparchia replied:

I am that person, Theodorus. But do I appear to you to have come to a wrong decision, if I devote that time to philosophy, which I otherwise should have spent at the loom?

According to Antipater of Sidon, the inscription on her tombstone could have read,

My name shall be greater than Atalanta: for wisdom is better than mountain running.

Porcia Catonis

Porcia Catonis was the daughter of Cato and grew up with a deep love of philosophy and married Brutus. When Brutus was plotting Caesar’s assassination, he was quite secretive about it, but promised Porcia that he would share the “heavy secrets” with her. To demonstrate to Brutus that she would not divulge his secrets even if physically tortured, she stabbed herself in the thigh (see cover picture). After enduring the pain for at least a day, she said to Brutus:

You, my husband, though you trusted my spirit that it would not betray you, nevertheless were distrustful of my body, and your feeling was but human. But I found that my body also can keep silence... Therefore fear not, but tell me all you are concealing from me, for neither fire, nor lashes, nor goads will force me to divulge a word.

Porcia amazed Brutus. He lifted his hands above his head and prayed that he might succeed in his undertaking, thus becoming worthy of her.

Annia Cornificia Faustina Minor

Annia Cornificia Faustina Minor was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius. Unlike her brother Commodus, she grew up Stoic. When Commodus became the emperor, he ordered the deaths of her husband, her son, her brother-in-law, and her sister-inlaw’s family, although Cornificia herself survived. But when she was in her fifties the tyrannical successor to Commodus, Caracalla forced her to commit suicide.

Like all Stoics she was brave when facing death. She composed herself, then severed her veins with these words reminiscent of her father’s:

Poor, unhappy soul of mine, imprisoned in a vile body, fare forth, be freed, show them that you are the daughter of Marcus Aurelius!

Fannia

Fannia, daughter of Thrasea, was a woman of great fortitude and respectability. When her husband Helvidius Priscus was exiled twice (first by Nero, then by Vespasian), she followed him into exile. Then she asked Senecio to write a biography or her husband. When Senecio was tried for doing so, he pointed the finger at Fannia as the instigator. And when Fannia was questioned about it, she confirmed that it was true and she was immediately exiled. She did not utter a single word to reduce the danger to herself. (Pliny the Younger). Her possessions were seized, but Fannia managed to save her husband’s diaries and biography and even took them with her into exile. Commenting on her death, Pliny had this to say:

It grieves me to think of so excellent a woman being torn from all of us, who will never, I fear, see her like again.

Fast forward to modern times.

Elizabeth Carter

Elizabeth Carter was the first person ever to translate Epictetus’ Discourses into English. It is interesting to note that no one in the preceding centuries (she lived in the 18th and the 19th Centuries) ever thought of translating Epictetus. With several inheritances, and the money she made by translating Discourses (roughly $400,000 in today’s dollars), she led a comfortable life. Yet she was an active and progressive member of the society. She belonged to the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade and was a member of the Bluestockings Circle. Later in her life Carter contracted a dangerous illness, from which she never thoroughly recovered, although she lived a long life. Despite her illness, she continued to visit the poor and to establish and maintain charitable institutions. Virginia Woolfe thought of Carter as a feminist precursor.

Sharon Lebell

Among contemporary Stoics, Sharon Lebell deserves a special mention. Modern Stoicism started as a formal movement in 2012 with a seminar at Exeter University. Since then, the modern Stoic movement has been growing exponentially. Yet nearly two decades before the birth Modern Stoicism, Sharon Lebell wrote a modern interpretation of Epictetus’ Enchiridion. Her lucid exposition of the Handbook has been widely read and translated into many languages. It made Stoicism accessible to everyone. Looking back, it is surprising that Sharon was able have it published by a major publisher long before Stoicism became fashionable.

Other contemporary female Stoics

Now women Stoics can be found in diverse fields: military (Rhonda Cornum) academe (Nancy Sherman, Juila Annas, Martha Nussbaum), journalism (Arianna Huffington), music (Nita Strauss), and sports (Michele Tafoya), to mention just a few.

Stoicon-X Women

Also for the first time ever, there will be a Stoicon-X (women) organized by women, but not necessarily for women with the theme Practical Paths to Flourishing, with a view to providing practical advice on meditation, creativity, and care. Organized by Kathryn Koromilas and Brittany Polat, the conference speakers include authors Sharon Lebell and Karen Duffy. Also featured are philosophy professors Greg Sadler, Jennifer Baker, and Jamie Lombardi and entrepreneurs Andi Sciacca, Kasey Pierce, Alkistis Agio, and many others. (For more information see page 4 of this issue of THE STOIC.)

So, again, does Stoicism exclude women?

No, it doesn’t, it never did. It is so even if some men try to exclude women out of ignorance, even if some women think it is not helpful to women.

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Chuck Chakrapani, Editor

 

 

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