Abstract

This dissertation offers a new perspective on Descartes' theory of mind-body dualism by situating it at the intersection or two trajectories of thought in the 17th century: Cartesianism and feminism. At the heart of my thesis is the proposition that any coherent understanding of human being requires the assumption that sustains Descartes' dualism: freedom of the mind. ;In order to demonstrate the importance of Descartes' rationalist argument for human freedom of mind, I situate his work in the context of two other 17th century rationalists who argued for the emancipation of women: Marie de Gournay and Francois Poulain de la Barre . ;In The Equality of Men and Women Gournay articulates a new logic of human relations: one of perfect equality between men and women. On this basis, she contradicts two kinds of inequality: in women's historical representation and in their access to education. These arguments, I argue, are strengthened in Descartes' reformulation of mind-body dualism in his Meditations on First Philosophy. ;Descartes' dualism supports a theory of sexual equality by arguing an equality of the freedom of mind in the power of reason. The freedom of reason does not involve negating the passions or the body, as some critics contend. This is because embodiment is an innate idea of human reason and cannot legitimately be negated. It is also because the passion and virtue of generosity, the universal standard of human virtue, does not call for negation, but for rational understanding of our passions. ;Generosity is the key to remedying the disorders of other passions, and, importantly, it is the basis of respect for other human beings. I argue that this respect does not merely amount to a recognition of the freedom of others, but it goes deeper than that: generosity is the basis for the promotion of human freedom. ;Poulain de la Barre draws on dualism, freedom and generosity in order to articulate, like Gournay, a theory of complete sexual equality. He argues that 'the mind has no sex.' Writing in the 1670s, his work thus bridges Cartesianism and earlier 17th century feminism. On his view, every human freedom, both internal and external, ought to be afforded to women.