Saving the Appearances: Vision and Reason in the European Enlightenment. My proposal introduces a fresh perspective on the 18th century by defining vision and reason as cognate concepts. The complex dialogue relating to perception and knowledge established in this partnership turns mechanical reason into an ideal by the 17th century. By the 18th century, however, a new conception of vision emerges. Under the banner of 'Aufklarung' in Germany, an audacious attempt to end the separation of the sci ....Saving the Appearances: Vision and Reason in the European Enlightenment. My proposal introduces a fresh perspective on the 18th century by defining vision and reason as cognate concepts. The complex dialogue relating to perception and knowledge established in this partnership turns mechanical reason into an ideal by the 17th century. By the 18th century, however, a new conception of vision emerges. Under the banner of 'Aufklarung' in Germany, an audacious attempt to end the separation of the sciences and the arts is undertaken. Analysing archival materials relating to the 18th century, the proposal seeks to correct misconceptions about the nature and extent of the movement of "enlightenment" in Europe. Read moreRead less
Reinventing Philosophy as a Way of Life. The core aim of this project is to examine modern re-inventions of the classical ideal of philosophy as a way of life. It will investigate the reanimation of this idea in post-Kantian philosophy, including well-known figures such as Nietzsche but also neglected figures such as Jean-Marie Guyau. The research will be highly significant in providing the first sustained study of how 19th and 20th century European philosophy transformed ancient philosophical s ....Reinventing Philosophy as a Way of Life. The core aim of this project is to examine modern re-inventions of the classical ideal of philosophy as a way of life. It will investigate the reanimation of this idea in post-Kantian philosophy, including well-known figures such as Nietzsche but also neglected figures such as Jean-Marie Guyau. The research will be highly significant in providing the first sustained study of how 19th and 20th century European philosophy transformed ancient philosophical schools, such as Epicureanism and Stoicism. Read moreRead less
Mary Astell (1666-1731): An Historical-Intellectual Role Model for Women in Philosophy. Mary Astell was an early modern English philosopher of exceptional eloquence and skill. This project will produce the first overview of her philosophical thought, the first authoritative critical edition of her magnum opus, and the first assessment of her philosophical relevance today. These outputs have the potential to encourage women's participation in philosophy and in intellectual life more generally, ou ....Mary Astell (1666-1731): An Historical-Intellectual Role Model for Women in Philosophy. Mary Astell was an early modern English philosopher of exceptional eloquence and skill. This project will produce the first overview of her philosophical thought, the first authoritative critical edition of her magnum opus, and the first assessment of her philosophical relevance today. These outputs have the potential to encourage women's participation in philosophy and in intellectual life more generally, outcomes that would be of tremendous benefit to Australia's social and economic fabric. The project will also enhance Australia's already outstanding scholarly reputation for early modern studies and the history of women's ideas.Read moreRead less
Medieval Virtue Ethics and the Formation of the Feminine Moral Subject: Jeanne of Navarre to Marguerite of Navarre (1285-1550). This research will generate fresh community awareness of the importance of teaching ethics in everyday rather than academic language, with a particular relevance to women, thus contributing to the national debate about what constitutes values education. By showing how famous women writers were not isolated individuals, but adapted an established tradition of communicati ....Medieval Virtue Ethics and the Formation of the Feminine Moral Subject: Jeanne of Navarre to Marguerite of Navarre (1285-1550). This research will generate fresh community awareness of the importance of teaching ethics in everyday rather than academic language, with a particular relevance to women, thus contributing to the national debate about what constitutes values education. By showing how famous women writers were not isolated individuals, but adapted an established tradition of communicating ethics to women, the research will contribute to contemporary debates about the relevance of the teaching of ethics. The project will develop further existing close connections between Australian scholars and researchers in both Europe and the USA.Read moreRead less
The Criticism of Heaven and Earth. Two issues have returned with vigour to public debate: the role of religion in secular society and the relation between theology and political theory. This project provides a much needed reference work that sets the current debates within a long and rich tradition. Apart from enabling us to avoid the mistakes of the past, it also brings to the fore forgotten solutions to such issues. Further, given the central role of many of these critics in a range of discipl ....The Criticism of Heaven and Earth. Two issues have returned with vigour to public debate: the role of religion in secular society and the relation between theology and political theory. This project provides a much needed reference work that sets the current debates within a long and rich tradition. Apart from enabling us to avoid the mistakes of the past, it also brings to the fore forgotten solutions to such issues. Further, given the central role of many of these critics in a range of disciplines, the series will have repercussions across a wide range of discussions within Australia and abroad. Finally, is a further step in international leadership emanating from Australia.Read moreRead less
A History of Women's Political Thought in Europe 1700-1800. This research will contribute to Australia's reputation for innovative scholarship on women and feminism and foster the development of models of active female citizenship and political participation by deepening our knowledge and understanding of the contribution that women made to political philosophy in the pre-revolutionary period.
The philosophical foundations of women’s rights: a new history, 1600-1750. This project aims to show that the history of women’s rights is much longer and richer than previously thought. There is a common perception that the notion of women’s rights first emerged in the late eighteenth century. This project expects to generate a new understanding of feminist history by investigating texts calling for the recognition of women’s dignity, worth, nobility, and excellence (cognate concepts to rights) ....The philosophical foundations of women’s rights: a new history, 1600-1750. This project aims to show that the history of women’s rights is much longer and richer than previously thought. There is a common perception that the notion of women’s rights first emerged in the late eighteenth century. This project expects to generate a new understanding of feminist history by investigating texts calling for the recognition of women’s dignity, worth, nobility, and excellence (cognate concepts to rights) in England and Europe from 1600 to 1750, against the backdrop of the rise of Cartesianism. The anticipated outcome is greater awareness of an enduring feminist tradition within the history of philosophy. The expected social benefits include a shift in public thinking about feminist history and women in philosophy.Read moreRead less
Women on liberty: from the early modern period to the enlightenment (1650-1800). Our modern ideals about liberty were forged in the great political debates of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but little is known about women’s participation in those debates. This project will be one of the first to examine early modern and enlightenment women’s writings on political, moral, and metaphysical concepts of liberty. It will do so by bringing together leading scholars in the field.
Peace, Politics and Love: Christine de Pizan and the political thought of medieval women. The project aims to translate into English Christine de Pizan's 1412-14 work Le Livre de la Paix and to provide it with a scholarly introduction discussing the context of its production, its relationship to the political thought of other medieval political thinkers (both women and men) and its relevance for contemporary feminist political thought. It also aims to produce an edited volume of essays on de Piz ....Peace, Politics and Love: Christine de Pizan and the political thought of medieval women. The project aims to translate into English Christine de Pizan's 1412-14 work Le Livre de la Paix and to provide it with a scholarly introduction discussing the context of its production, its relationship to the political thought of other medieval political thinkers (both women and men) and its relevance for contemporary feminist political thought. It also aims to produce an edited volume of essays on de Pizan as a political thinker. The project will both illuminate an unjustly neglected political theorist and make available to English audiences a better appreciation of women's distinctive contribution to political theoryRead moreRead less
How Australians have imagined the future; possibilities for an ecologically sustainable society. In a society like ours, which is subject to more or less continuous and often rapid social change, the question of how to imagine the future is of paramount importance. The study of how better and worse futures have been imagined for Australia, and how they still continue to be imagined, is therefore a central research question for the humanities in this country. More specifically, one of the key the ....How Australians have imagined the future; possibilities for an ecologically sustainable society. In a society like ours, which is subject to more or less continuous and often rapid social change, the question of how to imagine the future is of paramount importance. The study of how better and worse futures have been imagined for Australia, and how they still continue to be imagined, is therefore a central research question for the humanities in this country. More specifically, one of the key themes in our research will be the relationship between culture, ecology and utopia or dystopia. Much of our work will be quite deliberately oriented towards the future possibilities for an ecologically sustainable society.
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