I think all of the philosophers in this semester’s syllabus are important figures in the modern philosophy period, but if I have to choose one to replace, I would choose Marie de Gournay. I would propose not to delete Journey but to add Poulain into the philosophy and make Gournay a complement reading material as a comparison to Poulain’s work. I make this proposal since firstly I believe Poulain gives a similar but more detailed account about equal rights and secondly Poulain’s work is a good example of Cartesian work.
To begin with, as I read Gournay’s The Ladies Complaint, this work seems to me to be a mere complaint. She complains about how women were unjustly treated. She does not give detailed arguments on why women possess the ability to be treated equally, at least in the part which is in our syllabus. However, in Poulain’s On the Equality of Two Sexes, he made this argument clear by alluding to history and people’s nature of mind and body. Moreover, Poulain suggests a broader inclusion for women in all social, economic, and political aspects of life.
Additionally, I think Poulain’s work can be a great example of Cartesian work, giving students a better understanding of Cartesianism. As mentioned in previous parts of the project, Poulain was known for his rule of truth, which is learned from Descartes’ method of reasoning. The second comparison that can be made is Poulain’s analysis of mind and body being separate is similar to Descartes’ dualism. I believe there must be more comparisons that can be made.
Due to the more detailed argument and being an example of Cartesian work, I believe Poulain can be a great substitute for Gournay’s The Ladies Complaint.
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