A history in half.

We need the legacy of women philosophers.

“Chemistry, which is so closely connected with Natural Philosophy must be incomplete without some knowledge of the other; for, it is obvious that we can derive but a very imperfect idea of bodies from the study of the general laws by which they are governed, if we remain totally ignorant of their intimate nature.”

– Conversations on Chemistry, Conversation I (p. 9), 1836.

Jane Marcet was a British author and educationalist who wrote a popular science textbook titled “Conversations on Chemistry,” first published in 1806. The book, written in a dialogue format between a teacher and two students, aimed to make the study of chemistry accessible and interesting to a wider audience, particularly women. Marcet went on to write other scientific textbooks, including “Conversations on Political Economy” and “Conversations on Natural Philosophy.”

Interest aroused? More information about Marcet and many other female philosophers and scientists can be found in our Directory. It gives an overview of women philosophers and scientists from approx. 2300 BCE to the 21st century. Currently, there are more than 280 names of women philosophers listed and the entries will be periodically updated with biographical information and sources for further research.

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