User:Bahabilal/Mary Astell

Early life[edit]
After moving in with her aunt, little is known about Mary Astell's life until she was in her early twenties. It is possible that she continued to receive informal education from her uncle, but there is no concrete evidence to support this. Additionally, there is no information about whether she had any other teachers or mentors during this time. It is possible that Mary's lack of a dowry and her family's financial situation may have limited her opportunities for further education or advancement.

It is not known if she had any close friends or if she was involved in any romantic relationships. It is also unclear if she was involved in any political or social causes during this time, although her later writings suggest a keen interest in issues related to women's education and equality.

Career[edit]
During this time, it is believed that Astell may have spent some time at a convent in France, where she was exposed to ideas about women's education and independence. Upon her return to England, Astell became a valued member of the group of intellectual women known as the bluestockings. The exact date of her entry into the circle is not known, but it is believed to have been in the early 1690s. The bluestockings regularly gathered to discuss literature, science, and philosophy, and their discussions often centered on issues related to women's education and equality. Astell's participation in these conversations undoubtedly influenced her later work.

Marriage[edit]
Astell's work, Some Reflections upon Marriage, goes into the experiences of women in early modern marriages, with a specific focus on the separation of Hortense Mancini from her abusive husband. Astell asserts that marriage’s current state is far from its original sanctity as a holy institution established by God due to the moral deficiencies of human beings, specifically men. She warns women against blindly submitting to their husbands' will and advocates for the education of women to fortify their virtue and reason.

Scholars have also suggested that Astell's Reflections contain a veiled political subtext challenging the Whig theorists of her time to extend the same authority granted to husbands in the domestic sphere to sovereigns in the state. By questioning the acceptance of submission and obedience to authority in the home, but not in the state, Astell presents an ironic challenge to Whig opponents. As a result, she thinks that Whig theorists should practice passive obedience to their political leaders.

Religion and politics[edit]
Some have questioned how Astell could be both a feminist and a High-Church Tory given her disapproval of Locke's political views and her opposition to Whig theories of liberty, resistance and tolerance. At first glance, her support for a political party that fights freedom of conscience and other perceived dangers to the Anglican church seems in opposition with her advocacy for women's freedom of judgment. Scholars have seen, however, that Astell's feminism is not founded on liberal political objectives but rather on intellectual premises. This explains why, at the time, she did not demand complete political equality for women.

GAP

According to Astell's Anglican political theology, all subjects are required to adhere to the notion of passive obedience, which mandates that they must willingly surrender to political authority. When they are unable to do so openly, they must silently submit to the punishment for it. Even if the crown had dictatorial authority, Astell argued that political subjects were never entitled to actively oppose the monarch. Locke criticized Astell's views on natural law and the right of resistance in his First Treatise, published in 1690.

Astell maintains that while Locke considers self-preservation to be a fundamental right, it only involves preserving the immortal soul. Therefore, humans are only allowed to act in ways that will ensure the safety of their souls from judgment, in accordance with natural law.