I stumbled upon the relatively
unknown Lady Mary Shepherd (1777-1847) while surfing the net looking for women
philosophers who have been written out of the canon of philosophical works. I was immediately
drawn to this feisty philosopher who was outspoken, highly educated and very
smart. She was not afraid to take on male philosophers and argue against their
point of view, their philosophical standpoint. She attended and was influential
in leading intellectual circles and also ran her own salon and soirees attracting
famous literary figures, political thinkers, philosophers and scientists. So she
had a wealth of knowledge that she was able to acquire in this way. Her
interests were far ranging and included science. In an age when we still have not achieved
equality and women in philosophy and science are a rarity I think she is a
fascinating person to look at and think about.
She presented a philosophy still relevant today and indeed ahead of her time
which is why I’ve started up the first, as far as I know, dedicated blog and salon/philosophy
circle on her.
See also my academic papers and conference handouts on her at:
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