New Books in Intellectual History Alison Stone, "Women Philosophers in Nineteenth-Century Britain" (Oxford UP, 2023)
Jan 7, 2026
In this enlightening discussion, Alison Stone, a Professor of European Philosophy at Lancaster University, explores the overlooked contributions of women philosophers in 19th-century Britain. She highlights figures like Mary Shepherd, Ada Lovelace, and George Eliot, revealing their diverse views on naturalism, morality, and evolution. Stone uncovers how Victorian print culture helped these thinkers make their voices heard, despite academic barriers. She also examines the reasons for their historical neglect and emphasizes the need to broaden our understanding of philosophy to include these significant women.
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Discovery Through Frances Power Cobbe
- Stone discovered Frances Power Cobbe by following studies of nineteenth-century feminism into periodical publication networks.
- That led her to many other women who published philosophy in Victorian journals.
Print Culture Enabled Women's Philosophy
- Nineteenth-century British periodical culture offered wide, non-specialist venues for serious philosophical writing.
- Alison Stone shows many women used journals and anonymous or pseudonymous bylines to publish substantial philosophy.
Professionalization Wrote Women Out
- Professionalization and specialization from the 1870s marginalized non-academic, periodical-based philosophy.
- Because women had limited university access, the new academic norms disproportionately excluded their earlier contributions.
