François Poulain de la Barre on the Subjugation of Women

This chapter demonstrates how French thinker François Poulain de la Barre (1648–1723) made a profound contribution to feminist thought by adapting Cartesian ideas towards arguments for the liberation of women in the early modern era. First, it shows that Poulain embraces Cartesian method, and highlights the freedom of the intellect in all human beings, in order to establish that women are intellectually equal to men. Second, this chapter discusses Poulain’s contention that in order for women to overcome their own internalized prejudices, they must realize that their subjugation to men is neither a natural nor a justified state of affairs. Finally, this chapter examines Poulain’s claim that a woman’s self-knowledge—knowledge of herself as a human being, an immaterial mind united to a material body—is a necessary prerequisite for the attainment of her liberty. The upshot is that, for Poulain, self-knowledge is the key for women overcoming their subjugation.