The Suspicion of Virtue : : Women Philosophers in Neoclassical France / / John J. Conley.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Cornell University Press Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Conley, John J.,
• Place / Publishing House: Ithaca, NY : : Cornell University Press, , [2018]; ©2002
• Year of Publication: 2018
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (240 p.) :; 5 halftones

The salon was of particular importance in mid- to late-seventeenth-century France, enabling aristocratic women to develop a philosophical culture that simultaneously reflected and opposed the dominant male philosophy. In The Suspicion of Virtue, John J. Conley, S. J., explores the moral philosophies developed by five women authors of that milieu: Madame de Sablé, Madame Deshoulières, Madame de la Sabliére, Mlle de la Vallière, and Madame de Maintenon. Through biography, extensive translation, commentary, and critical analysis, The Suspicion of Virtue presents the work of women who participated in the philosophical debates of the early modern period but who have been largely erased from the standard history of philosophy. Conley examines the various literary genres (maxim, ode, dialogue) in which these authors presented their moral theory. He also unveils the philosophical complexity of the arguments presented by these women and of the salon culture that nurtured their preoccupations. Their pointed critiques of virtue as a mask of vice, Conley asserts, are relevant to current controversy over the revival of virtue theory by contemporary ethicians.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Note on Translation -- CHAPTER I. Introduction: Salon Philosophy -- CHAPTER II. Madame de Sablé: A Jansenist Code of Moderation -- CHAPTER III. Madame Deshoulières: A Naturalist Creed -- CHAPTER IV. Madame de la Sablière: The Ethics of the Desert -- CHAPTER V. Mademoiselle de la Vallière: The Logic of Mercy -- CHAPTER VI. Madame de Maintenon: A Moral Pragmatism -- CHAPTER VII. Conclusion: Unmasking Virtue -- APPENDIX A. Maximes de Madame de Sablé -- APPENDIX B. Reflexions diverses de Madame Deshoulières -- APPENDIX C. Maximes Chrétiennes de Madame de la Sablière -- APPENDIX D. Sur les vertus cardinales de Madame de Maintenon -- Notes -- Works Cited -- Index