 |
| Source Credit - Wikipedia |
Her existentialism philosophy serves as an inspiration for several women around the globe. Her famous work, The Second Sex, set the foundation of contemporary feminism and crowned her as the founder of the modern feminist movement.
It is often considered that she started the second wave of feminism all around the world.
Her Background
She was born in Paris, France on 9th of January of 1908 in a bourgeois Parisian family. Her father who earned his living through his profession of a lawyer, once aspired to become an actor and her mother who came from a wealthy family, was a devout Catholic.
Beauvoir and her sister were raised catholic but she spent most of her childhood rebelling against the values of her faith and the bourgeois ideology. It was during this time that she vowed to never become a housewife or have kids.
The bourgeoisie class consisted of merchants and business owners and was usually associated with wealth and education. But after the First World War, her family struggled to maintain their status, since they had lost a hefty amount of their fortune.
Despite their financial struggles, Beauvoir's mother insisted on sending both of her daughters to a prestigious school. Beauvoir was intellectually precocious. This was fuelled by her father’s encouragement. He was often found exclaiming, Simone thinks like a man!
It was her father who introduced her to great works of literature and motivated her to start writing. Literature sparked an interest in her and she began writing.
Her Education
Despite her and her mother’s clashing views on religion with her being an atheist and her mother being a devout catholic, there was one thing that they both agreed upon and remained persistent about.
That was Beauvoir’s education, her mother wanted her to attend a prestigious school regardless of their financial position.
Beauvoir went to Roman Catholic School for girls after which she went on to pursue post-secondary education at Cours Desir, which was a private Catholic establishment.
She went on to study mathematics at Institut Catholique de Paris (Catholic University of Paris) and literature at Institut Sainte-Marie after passing the baccalaureate examination for mathematics and philosophy at the age of seventeen.
She then studied philosophy at the Sorbonne (University of Paris), qualifying her for a high teaching post.
Beauvoir The Philosopher
In spite of her huge fame in regard to her existentialist philosophy, neither she nor anyone else considered Beauvoir a philosopher at the time of her death. Her only interest lied in advocating for women’s rights. Hence, could be referred to as a women’s rights activist.
Though, the decades of scholarship on Beauvoir’s work, undertaken by feminist scholars, has secured her a place in philosophy.
Her resistance to Satre didn’t work out the way Beauvoir had expected it to and remained a couple for 51 years, until Satre’s death in 1980. Needless to say, as a woman her journey in a male-dominated field wasn’t full of pleasantries.
Her philosophical writing wasn’t regarded as original contributions but much rather as her husband’s echo, since it was considered that it's only natural for a woman to be the disciple of her male companion.
Beauvoir’s philosophy mainly focused on individuality, one’s personal freedom and that happiness can be found in the most trivial of things. She spent most of her life reading, drinking tea, writing, lunching with friends and listening to music, encouraging the notion that happiness doesn’t require extravagance.
The Second Sex
Undoubtedly, this philosophical memoir written by Beauvoir can be her greatest work, a classic piece of feminist literature, a passionate plea, elegantly sculpted into her philosophical writing The Second Sex.
It was first published in 1949 in French as Le Deuxième Sexe. This writing contains her famous quote One is not born but becomes a woman (On ne naît pas femme, on le devient).
With this famous phrase, Beauvoir articulated sex-gender distinction for the first time in the history of philosophy. Here, women are referred to as the Second Sex because women are often defined as inferior to men.
Beauvoir drew attention to how Aristotle had exclaimed women are female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities and how Thomas Aquinas had called women, imperfect men. She efficised the fact that women are just as capable of choice as men and are fully able to elevate themselves.
In the chapter Woman- Myth and Reality of The Second Sex, Beauvoir proclaimed men had made women the Other in society. She asserted that men used this as an excuse not to understand women or their problems and not to help them.
Final Thoughts
Beauvoir's pioneering contributions to feminist philosophy and existentialist ethics are a lasting legacy that will be celebrated for many many more coming years.
Through her philosophical writings, she challenged societal norms, advocated for women's liberation, and enriched existentialist thought.
Beauvoir's work continues to inspire and provoke thought, ensuring her place as one of the most influential intellectuals of the 20th century.
Written by Shugunpal Kaur
This article has been authored exclusively by the writer and is being presented on Eat My News, which serves as a platform for the community to voice their perspectives. As an entity, Eat My News cannot be held liable for the content or its accuracy. The views expressed in this article solely pertain to the author or writer. For further queries about the article or its content you can contact on this email address -kaurshugun65@gmail.com
She was born in Paris, France on 9th of January of 1908 in a bourgeois Parisian family. Her father who earned his living through his profession of a lawyer, once aspired to become an actor and her mother who came from a wealthy family, was a devout Catholic.
Beauvoir and her sister were raised catholic but she spent most of her childhood rebelling against the values of her faith and the bourgeois ideology. It was during this time that she vowed to never become a housewife or have kids.
The bourgeoisie class consisted of merchants and business owners and was usually associated with wealth and education. But after the First World War, her family struggled to maintain their status, since they had lost a hefty amount of their fortune.
Despite their financial struggles, Beauvoir's mother insisted on sending both of her daughters to a prestigious school. Beauvoir was intellectually precocious. This was fuelled by her father’s encouragement. He was often found exclaiming, Simone thinks like a man!
It was her father who introduced her to great works of literature and motivated her to start writing. Literature sparked an interest in her and she began writing.
Her Education
Despite her and her mother’s clashing views on religion with her being an atheist and her mother being a devout catholic, there was one thing that they both agreed upon and remained persistent about.
That was Beauvoir’s education, her mother wanted her to attend a prestigious school regardless of their financial position.
Beauvoir went to Roman Catholic School for girls after which she went on to pursue post-secondary education at Cours Desir, which was a private Catholic establishment.
She went on to study mathematics at Institut Catholique de Paris (Catholic University of Paris) and literature at Institut Sainte-Marie after passing the baccalaureate examination for mathematics and philosophy at the age of seventeen.
She then studied philosophy at the Sorbonne (University of Paris), qualifying her for a high teaching post.
Beauvoir The Philosopher
In spite of her huge fame in regard to her existentialist philosophy, neither she nor anyone else considered Beauvoir a philosopher at the time of her death. Her only interest lied in advocating for women’s rights. Hence, could be referred to as a women’s rights activist.
Though, the decades of scholarship on Beauvoir’s work, undertaken by feminist scholars, has secured her a place in philosophy.
Her resistance to Satre didn’t work out the way Beauvoir had expected it to and remained a couple for 51 years, until Satre’s death in 1980. Needless to say, as a woman her journey in a male-dominated field wasn’t full of pleasantries.
Her philosophical writing wasn’t regarded as original contributions but much rather as her husband’s echo, since it was considered that it's only natural for a woman to be the disciple of her male companion.
Beauvoir’s philosophy mainly focused on individuality, one’s personal freedom and that happiness can be found in the most trivial of things. She spent most of her life reading, drinking tea, writing, lunching with friends and listening to music, encouraging the notion that happiness doesn’t require extravagance.
The Second Sex
Undoubtedly, this philosophical memoir written by Beauvoir can be her greatest work, a classic piece of feminist literature, a passionate plea, elegantly sculpted into her philosophical writing The Second Sex.
It was first published in 1949 in French as Le Deuxième Sexe. This writing contains her famous quote One is not born but becomes a woman (On ne naît pas femme, on le devient).
With this famous phrase, Beauvoir articulated sex-gender distinction for the first time in the history of philosophy. Here, women are referred to as the Second Sex because women are often defined as inferior to men.
Beauvoir drew attention to how Aristotle had exclaimed women are female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities and how Thomas Aquinas had called women, imperfect men. She efficised the fact that women are just as capable of choice as men and are fully able to elevate themselves.
In the chapter Woman- Myth and Reality of The Second Sex, Beauvoir proclaimed men had made women the Other in society. She asserted that men used this as an excuse not to understand women or their problems and not to help them.
Final Thoughts
Beauvoir's pioneering contributions to feminist philosophy and existentialist ethics are a lasting legacy that will be celebrated for many many more coming years.
Through her philosophical writings, she challenged societal norms, advocated for women's liberation, and enriched existentialist thought.
Beauvoir's work continues to inspire and provoke thought, ensuring her place as one of the most influential intellectuals of the 20th century.
Written by Shugunpal Kaur
This article has been authored exclusively by the writer and is being presented on Eat My News, which serves as a platform for the community to voice their perspectives. As an entity, Eat My News cannot be held liable for the content or its accuracy. The views expressed in this article solely pertain to the author or writer. For further queries about the article or its content you can contact on this email address -kaurshugun65@gmail.com
.jpeg)
0 Comments