Philosophy for Girls: An Invitation to the Life of Thought, Paperback

This revolutionary book empowers its readers by exploring enduring, challenging, and timely philosophical issues in new essays written by expert women philosophers. The book will inspire and entice these philosophers' younger counterparts, curious readers of all genders, and all who support equity in philosophy.

If asked to envision a philosopher, people might imagine a bearded man, probably Greek, perhaps in a toga, pontificating about abstract ideas. Or they might think of that same man in the Enlightenment, gripping a quill pen and pouring universal truths onto a page. They may even call to mind a much more modern man, wearing a black sweater and smoking a cigarette in a Paris caf�, expressing existential angst in a new novel or essay.

What people are unlikely to picture, though, is a woman. Women have historically been excluded from the discipline of philosophy and remain largely marginalized in contemporary textbooks and anthologies. The under-representation of women in secondary and post-secondary curricula makes it harder for young women to see themselves as future philosophers. In fact, it makes it harder for all people to engage the valuable contributions that women have made and continue to make to intellectual thought. While some progress has been made in building a more inclusive world of philosophy, especially in the last fifty years, important work remains to be done.

Philosophy for Girls helps correct the pervasive and problematic omission of women from philosophy. Divided into four sections that connect to major, primary fields in philosophy (metaphysics, epistemology, social and political philosophy, and ethics), this anthology is unique: chapters are all written by women, and each chapter opens with an anecdote about a girl or woman from mythology, history, art, literature, or science to introduce chapter topics. Further, nearly all primary and secondary sources used in the chapters are written by women philosophers. The book is written in a rigorous, academic spirit but in lively and engaging prose, making serious philosophical insights accessible to readers who are new to philosophy.

This book appeals to a wide audience. Individual readers will find value in these pages--especially girls and women ages 16-24, as well as university and high school educators and students who want a change from standard anthologies that include few or no women. The book's contributors both represent and map the diverse landscape of philosophy, highlighting its engagement with themes of gender and equity. In doing so, they encourage philosophers current and future philosophers to explore new territory and further develop the topography of the field.

Philosophy for Girls is a rigorous yet accessible entry-point to philosophical contemplation designed to inspire a new generation of philosophers.

About author(s):
Melissa M. Shew, Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Marquette University, Kimberly K. Garchar, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Kent State University
Melissa M. Shew is Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Marquette University. Her expertise and interests are wide-ranging from ancient Greek to contemporary philosophy, philosophy of literature and the arts, and pedagogy. In her scholarship as with her students, she usually finds her way back to authenticity, dialogue, chance, and understanding the power of a moment. Dr. Shew has taught at the university level for fifteen years and also taught for five years at an all-girls college preparatory high school, living out her firm belief in empowering young women and girls through education. She came to philosophy through literature, music, myth, politics, and the arts.

Kimberly K. Garchar is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Kent State University and an associated faculty member at Northeast Ohio Medical University. She found her way to philosophy via mathematics and received her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Oregon in 2006, after which she spent two years as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Colorado Denver and Health Sciences Center. Dr. Garchar specializes in American pragmatism, ethics, and clinical ethics, particularly in the areas of death and dying. She has focused on issues of gender and gender equity, both in philosophy and academia, throughout her career.