Why would a thoughtful person take this stance?.

Start with the assumption that there is something worthwhile and avoid dismissing material too quickly before its meaning is clear.

Try to put yourself in the author’s shoes.

Make sure you understand the sentence you’re reading before you move on to the next one.

Read actively, not passively (underline/highlight, take notes, ask questions).And, like poetry, philosophical texts require a creative and individual response from readers–such as an imaginary dialogue with the absent author” (Bedau, Hugo, Thinking and Writing about Philosophy, 2nd Edition. “Because of its complexity, philosophical writing demands close–and perhaps repeated–reading if justice is to be done to the author’s intention.

Pearson/Prentice Hall: New Jersey (2004)). Wollstonecraft Reading Lab (Many of the ideas here come from Arthur, John, Studying Philosophy: A Guide for the Perplexed, 2nd Edition. For Wollstonecraft, virtue has a double meaning–there’s political or civic virtue (“informed rational interest in public life and the common good” and also personal virtue (related to personal and interpersonal behavior ).He thought that all civil society is root of vice (not just certain, badly structured civil societies).Rousseau thought that humans were naturally good/virtuous in a hypothetical “state of nature”.See Wollstonecraft’s quotes of Rousseau in Ch.Some Background on Rousseau (one of W’s main targets) Connection with political and social liberation.Need to throw off the chains of bias and bad reasoning and free themselves intellectually.Humans, overall, are in a stage of infancy.Emphasis on reason as opposed to tradition (or prejudice).Had a rough personal life (failed relationships, attempted suicide twice, died in childbirth).Wollstonecraft had previously written on children’s education and revolutionary politics (connected to the French Revolution in the late 1700s).Vindication based on her earlier A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790)–a defense of a republican government (one where the head of state is a representative of the people e.g., the US).Some Background on Wollstonecraft and A Vindication This unit provides a brief introduction to Wollstonecraft’s Vindication, exploring gender norms, sexism, and education. ISBN: 1603849386ĭay 2: Go over answers to Reading Lab, do discussion questions of: Intro, Ch. Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Abridged, with Related Texts).Intro to Ethics Social/Political (lower division) Assigned Texts: