Dr. Suki Finn (Royal Holloway University of London): Thinking (About Stebbing) To Some (Feminist) Purpose

Susan Stebbing’s popular book, Thinking To Some Purpose, was first published in 1939, went out of print for many decades, and was finally republished in 2022. The relevance of and need for the book is as pertinent now as it was when it was written. This paper outlines its applicability to the contemporary political setting and positions it as a feminist text. As such, I think about Stebbing to some purpose, namely, some feminist purpose, and argue that this gives purpose to Thinking To Some Purpose in present times. Gillian Russell (2024) has deemed Thinking To Some Purpose to be feminist insofar as it can be utilised to serve feminist ends; Sophia M. Connell and Frederique Janssen-Lauret (2023) take Stebbing’s work to exemplify and promote epistemic virtues that one could take to be feminist; Bryan Pickel (2022) highlights Stebbing’s holistic view of thought that incorporates a persons social situation, which is reminiscent of feminist epistemology. I agree on all of these accounts and find further evidence to paint a feminist picture of Stebbing, arguing for the rightful place of Thinking To Some Purpose as a crucial book for and of feminism, inside and outside of academic philosophy.