This is the second of two collections of correspondence written by early modern English women philosophers. In this volume, Jacqueline Broad presents letters from three influential thinkers of the eighteenth century: Mary Astell, Elizabeth Thomas, and Catharine Trotter Cockburn. Broad provides introductory essays for each figure and explanatory annotations to clarify unfamiliar language, content, and historical context for the modern reader. Her selections make available many letters that have never been published before or that live scattered in various archives, obscure manuscripts, and rare books. The discussions range in subject from moral theology and ethics to epistemology and metaphysics; they involve some well-known thinkers of the period, such as John Norris, George Hickes, Mary Chudleigh, John Locke, and Edmund Law. By centering epistolary correspondence, Broad's anthology works to reframe early modern philosophy, the foundation for so much of twentieth-century philosophy, as consisting of collaborative debates that women actively participated in and shaped. Together with its companion volume, Women Philosophers of Eighteenth-Century England: Selected Correspondence is an invaluable primary resource for students, scholars, and those undertaking further research in the history of women's contributions to the formation and development of early modern thought.

ContentsAcknowledgementsNote on the TextsIntroduction1. Mary Astell (1666-1731)1.1 Mary Astell and John Norris1.2 Mary Astell, George Hickes, and an anonymous lady2. Elizabeth Thomas (1675-1731)2.1 Elizabeth Thomas and John Norris2.2 Elizabeth Thomas and Mary Chudleigh2.3 Elizabeth Thomas and Richard Hemington3. Catharine Trotter Cockburn (1679?-1749)3.1 Catharine Trotter Cockburn and John Locke3.2 Catharine Trotter Cockburn and Ann Hepburn Arbuthnot3.3 Catharine Trotter Cockburn and Edmund LawBibliographyIndex