This volume brings together essential writings by the unjustly
neglected nineteenth-century philosopher Frances Power Cobbe
(1822-1904). A prominent ethicist, feminist, champion of animal
welfare, and critic of Darwinism and atheism, Cobbe was well known and
highly regarded in the Victorian era. This collection of her work
introduces contemporary readers to Cobbe and shows how her thought
developed over time, beginning in 1855 with her Essay on Intuitive
Morals, in which she set out her duty-based moral theory, arguing that
morality and religion are indissolubly connected. This work provided
the framework within which she addressed many theoretical and
practical issues in her prolific publishing career. In the 1860s and
early 1870s, she gave an account of human duties to animals;
articulated a duty-based form of feminism; defended a unique type of
dualism in the philosophy of mind; and argued against evolutionary
ethics. Cobbe put her philosophical views into practice, campaigning
for women's rights and for first the regulation and later the
abolition of vivisection. In turn her political experiences led her to
revise her ethical theory. From the 1870s onwards she increasingly
emphasized the moral role of the emotions, especially sympathy, and
she theorized a gradual historical progression in sympathy. Moving
into the 1880s, Cobbe combatted secularism, agnosticism, and atheism,
arguing that religion is necessary not only for morality but also for
meaningful life and culture. Shedding light on Cobbe's philosophical
perspective and its applications, this volume demonstrates the range,
systematicity and philosophical character of her work and makes her
core ethical theory and its central applications and developments
available for teaching and scholarship.
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Essential Writings of a Nineteenth-Century Feminist Philosopher
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780197628256
Publisert
2021
Utgiver
Oxford University Press Academic US
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter