Chapter 1 Diotima, Sosipatra and Hypatia: Methodological Reflections on the Study of Female Philosophers in the Platonic Tradition
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Abstract
Numerous methodological difficulties surround the study of female philosophers in Graeco-Roman antiquity, including those attested within the Platonic tradition. Few philosophical works written by women survive from antiquity; consequently, we do not often hear their views directly. Furthermore, women philosophers are often mentioned only briefly in ‘biographical’ sources authored by members of the male elite, such as the late antique Vitae. Faced with this paucity of evidence, some scholars have represented ancient female philosophers as anomalous exceptions to the rule. Post-structuralist critique has undermined further the notion that any type of historical information can be derived from late antique Vitae. This paper will examine these methodological issues in relation to the involvement of women in the Platonic tradition and will attempt to propose solutions to some of these issues based on: (1) the concept of philosophy in antiquity, especially its iteration as a way of life, and the implications of this concept for assessing female involvement in philosophical activities; (2) other sources of evidence for female philosophers and the need to provide a well-rounded picture of female intellectual activities; (3) the importance of considering women’s involvement in religious cult and worship alongside their philosophical activity; and (4) later processes of textual transmission within the medieval Christian tradition in the Latin West and the Arabic tradition in the East, and possible implications for the transmission of female writings.