8 Outstanding Women in the History of Philosophy

From ancient times to the modern era, notable women have challenged traditional gender norms in philosophy and left a lasting impact in many branches of philosophy—even though philosophy has historically been male-dominated. These exceptional thinkers have helped shape philosophical discourse with fresh perspectives and profound insights. However, they don’t always get the recognition they deserve. So, who are these amazing women?

Hypatia of Alexandria is a name that cannot be overlooked when discussing philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. Daughter of Theon of Alexandria—himself an important philosopher and mathematician—Hypatia was destined for greatness from birth. Living up to expectations (and more), she taught Plato and Aristotle along with math and astronomy at her father’s famous school, the Museum. After his death, she took his place at the head of the school.

The scale and quality of Hypatia’s works are impressive. One creation, her commentary on Diophantus’s Arithmetic, includes 100-plus algebra problems solved by her alone. Her intellect and influence during this period are further demonstrated by her writings on Apollonius of Perga’s conic sections, and an astronomical work called the Astronomical Canon, which unfortunately has not survived.

Her philosophy drew heavily from Plotinus and focused on seeking a mystical union with the divine. This perspective bred religious tolerance at the school and drew students from throughout the ancient world’s many different belief systems. Hypatia didn’t just instruct future officials and bishops. She also helped build a culture of intellectual curiosity and tolerance.

Hypatia was important enough that rulers like the prefect Orestes listened to what she said. Her impact went beyond academia, too. But Hypatia’s progressive beliefs put her at odds with the new bishop Cyril—so much so that there was eventually a deadly conflict between them in which she was accused of witchcraft.

Though her life ended tragically, people haven’t forgotten or diminished what an extraordinary female philosopher she was: someone who produced significant works and taught others how to think for themselves—and think big!

Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia was an important person in the history of education and philosophy. She was the first woman to receive a PhD, and she was awarded hers in 1678 from the University of Padua in Italy. There, she demonstrated her brilliance by defending a doctoral dissertation she had written herself.

But Piscopia’s amazing educational milestones don’t stop there. She also had an incredible breadth of knowledge in many other subjects such as math—and spoke seven languages fluently! These included Latin and Greek (considered essential for all university students back then), French, Spanish, Hebrew, and even Arabic.

In fact, people sometimes referred to her as “The Seven-Language Oracle” because they were so impressed by both her exceptional ability to learn languages quickly and how well she understood these different cultures when speaking them.

Assisting the community intellectually and earning respect was important to Piscopia. In 1670, she became president of the Venetian society Accademia dei Pacifici, showing that she was influential in scientific discussions even then. Membership in many scientific societies proved how much she cared about learning and teaching others. It also made her well-respected among other thinkers of the time.

Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia means more than someone who got a special degree long ago. She has become a symbol for women breaking barriers in education and wanting to know everything they possibly can—not just in philosophy but in any subject! Because of this, she has inspired generations upon generations of females, both within and outside this field!

Anne Conway is a significant figure in philosophy because of her original ideas as a rationalist and because she is associated with the Cambridge Platonists. These philosophers blended Christianity with Platonism.

Conway was not allowed to study at university because she was a woman. Still, she overcame this by corresponding with professors at Cambridge University and teaching herself philosophy to a high level.

We mainly know about Conway’s philosophy from The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy. She did not put her name on it; it was published after she died in 1690. In this work, she criticizes Descartes, Hobbes, and Spinoza—three important philosophers from her time—while presenting what is unique about her thinking: spiritual monism.

This doctrine proposes that everything that exists is both unified and spiritual, something that distinguishes her from other 17th-century thinkers, who were more likely to be dualists or materialists.

It’s also worth noting Conway’s exploration of monads—an idea she came up with independently from Leibniz but which anticipates his work and may have influenced him. This suggests Conway had a broader impact on the development of ideas than even those working in her own milieu would have realized.

Conway’s boldness and originality make her an extraordinary philosopher who broke new metaphysical ground by pushing boundaries.

4. Hildegard von Bingen

Hildegard von Bingen, born in 1098, was an abbess, writer, philosopher, and composer who transcended the confines of her Benedictine convent to become one of the most influential figures in Europe. A polymath who studied music, medicine, natural science, and philosophy—among countless other subjects—Hildegard was a profound and versatile thinker.

Her philosophical works include Scivias (Know the Ways of the Lord) and Liber Subtilitatum Diversarum Naturarum Creaturarum (Book of the Subtleties of Different Natural Things). In these texts, she explored humanity’s relationship with God in groundbreaking ways.

The ecclesiastical endorsement came for her work, too: St Bernard of Clairvaux supported Hildegard, as did Pope Eugene III, both men attesting to her spiritual authority and intellect.

In addition, Hildegard’s invention of the Lingua Ignota, one of the earliest recorded constructed languages, demonstrates her creativity and intellect. She was also an acclaimed musician. Her compositions continue to inspire people who perform sacred music and those involved in classical music.

Hildegard was made a saint and a Doctor of the Church. Her ideas show that she looked at things as a whole person would, combining faith and natural science. Because she did so many important things in different fields, she is seen as someone original and excellent in philosophy who broke new ground—a pioneer!

Emily du Châtelet is an important figure in the Enlightenment. She translated Isaac Newton’s revolutionary work Principia Mathematica for French speakers, but she did much more than that. Du Châtelet also added her own commentary, helping make Newton’s ideas better known and discussed across Europe.

Du Châtelet explored the philosophical ideas behind natural philosophy (the science of matter and energy) very deeply. She became an important voice in debates about these subjects at that time.

In fact, she published critiques of Cartesian physics (a system for explaining how things move through space based on René Descartes’s ideas) and other works questioning existing theories.

In Foundations of Physics, for example, Du Châtelet proposed her new way of looking at this branch of knowledge. It’s principles or rules we can trust when saying we know something.

Du Châtelet was not only interested in natural philosophy; she also thought about ethics and theology. She could engage with important issues because she had many different talents. Du Châtelet played a major part in Enlightenment thinking because she always used the experimental method, even when other philosophers did not.

She wasn’t just a great female philosopher. Her ideas have had an influence on science and philosophy that lasts to this day. Her work had such an impact because she immersed herself deeply in the scientific and philosophical arguments around her.

6. Harriet Taylor Mill

Harriet Taylor Mill is another important person in philosophy, especially feminist philosophy and liberal political theory. Even though she didn’t publish much under her own name, her ideas influenced her husband, John Stuart Mill, a lot—he was one of the most important philosophers of the 1800s.

One essay that shows how Harriet Taylor Mill thought for herself is The Enfranchisement of Women. In this work from 1851, she boldly argues for women’s rights. It also helped inspire John Stuart Mill’s great book, The Subjection of Women, from 1869. Together, these two thinkers broke lots of new ground, and their writing still shapes progressive thought about freedom and equality today.

Harriet Taylor Mill played a significant role in the creation of On Liberty, going beyond merely inspiring it. The foundational text for liberal philosophy was written with her input and ideas about personal freedoms and social rights—so much so that the book is dedicated to her.

Some contemporary academics believe Harriet Taylor Mill should be listed as an author alongside her husband. They argue that her thoughts helped shape and refine what he wanted to say. Without her contribution, the work would have been less powerful or original.

Recognizing her importance to discussions about autonomy and fairness can help us appreciate Harriet Taylor Mill as an exceptional female philosopher. Her ideas still resonate today, not least in debates about feminism and how best to create a just society.

Hannah Arendt, born in Germany in 1906, was a significant philosopher of the 1900s. She examined concepts like politics, control, and what it is to be human—topics that were influenced by her Jewish background as Nazism took hold in Germany.

Arendt is best known for thinking deeply about totalitarianism (extreme and centralized political power), how governments get authority over people—and what those people’s freedoms consist of. These ideas run through works such as The Origins of Totalitarianism and The Human Condition, making them particularly famous texts by her.

Arendt is best known for her analysis of Adolf Eichmann’s trial, during which she introduced the phrase “the banality of evil.” This idea upended existing thinking about attributing moral responsibility and comprehending wickedness when bureaucracies perpetuate it. It also had a long-lasting influence outside academia, in politics and philosophy.

Cutting across history, philosophy, and political science, her work speaks to people grappling with 21st-century challenges at the heart of liberal democracies. Arendt’s complex investigation into what it is to be human, her fierce criticism of totalitarianism, and her timeless thoughts on the nature of political action and liberty mean that she continues to have an impact today.

8. Anne Dufourmantelle

Anne Dufourmantelle, a French philosopher and psychoanalyst, is known for her deep exploration into the philosophy of risk, which she lays out in her book In Praise of Risk (Éloge du risque).

Dufourmantelle’s philosophy investigates what risk-taking does to humans. She argues that people should want to take risks because there is so much unknown—and potentially good—out there.

According to Dufourmantelle, we need to be ready for life’s risks and able to cope with them, too. If we face them with bravery and smart thinking, we can do better than just surviving. We might even thrive from dealing with difficulty or uncertainty head-on.

In her work, Dufourmantelle goes beyond an examination of risk itself. She also considers how the desire for security can be paradoxical. While we may want to be safe, she argues that this can result in emptiness or stasis because it is precisely unpredictability—and the need to constantly adjust to it—that gives life its dynamism.

“Living is taking risks”: this phrase sums up her philosophy that vital activity implies always changing and becoming different through the problems it confronts. Dufourmantelle’s contribution to philosophy reaches further than academic debate alone: she makes a deep observation about what it is like to be human.

Even though philosophy has long been male-dominated, women have profoundly impacted the field—so much so that their ideas often shape how we think about society and even science.

Their contributions to political theory and ethics alone would be significant. However, women have also rethought fundamental questions in metaphysics (the study of existence) and the philosophy of science itself.

Because established thinking can limit fresh thought, any discipline benefits from multiple perspectives. Including those gleaned by questioning received wisdom—as these thinkers often do.

The upshot is not only that conversation in these areas has grown richer and more nuanced as a result. The work of women philosophers equips future generations with tools to keep exploring: they raise novel ideas worth pondering further.