Rainbow Lifelong Learning Institute, Boston

Schedule: This course will take place on Zoom for 5 Wednesdaiys (10/22/2025 - 11/19/2025) from 1:30PM to 3:00PM.

Description: 
A stimulating and thought-provoking series about four women philosophers of the 20th century: Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), Simone Weil (1900- 1943), Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), and Edith Stein (1891-1942). Learn about the work of these influential women whose ideas have had an impact beyond philosophical circles and into everyday thinking.  The women included in this mini-series wrote and thought extensively about philosophical topics. These women have been selected because of the significance of their thought. Although their work is recognizably philosophical, they suffered from some ostracism and the importance of their thought may have been neglected, ignored, or forgotten. Male dominance has meant that women who pursued a scholarly life in philosophy were frequently regarded as unusual and their work may have been derogate. We will articulate what is different about the contributions of women to philosophical endeavors. And we will concentrate on women who were considered important philosophers in their time: Simone deBeauvoir, Edith Stein, Simone Weil, and Hannah Arendt. The goal of this short series is to bring out the indisputable contributions of these fourwomen to the philosophy of the 20th century.

Session 1: Introduction: Women and philosophy.  Introduction to the work of four influential women philosophers of the 20th century whose work has had an impact beyond philosophical circles and into everyday thinking. 

Session 2: Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), one of the best-known philosophers of the 20 th century is credited with originating the concept of “the other.” She is best known for “The Second Sex,” published in 1949, about the condition of women. 

Session 3: Simone Weil (1900-1943), daughter of a French Jewish family, lived her life at the edge of Christianity but never converted. Her preoccupation with justice moved her to work in factories and experience firsthand the hardships of workers. 

Session 4: Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), influential political philosopher, generated a wide-ranging debate on the nature of totalitarianism. Arendt left Germany in 1933 and came to the U.S. as a refugee. She taught at several major universities in this country. 

Session 5: Edith Stein (1891-1942) studied and wrote about empathy, individually and as a community building force. Born to a Jewish family, she converted to Catholicism and became a Carmelite nun. She was put to death in Auschwitz. An active feminist, she believed women had unique capacities and deserved equal rights. 

Summary and Conclusions.
There will not be any specific “homework” but participants will be encouraged to read more about these philosophers. A list of bibliographic resources will be provided after each session. The class itself will be about 70% lecture and 30% percent discussion, questions, and active participation throughout the lectures.

Required Materials:

Bibliographical resources will be provided for each session for those participants who may be interested in learning more about these women philosophers and their contributions to philosophical thought and everyday Life.

No prep is required for the first class.

Instructor Bio:

Oliva M. Espín is Professor Emerita of Women’s Studies at San Diego State University and the California School of Professional Psychology. She was a pioneer in the practice and theory of feminist therapy with women from different cultural backgrounds, particularly immigrants and refugees. A native of Cuba, she received her BA from the University of Costa Rica, her PhD from the University of Florida, and did post-doctoral work at Harvard University. She is the recipient of many awards, most recently the award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology from the American Psychological Association. Dr. Espín recently published Women, Sainthood, and Power: A Feminist Psychology of Cultural Constructions and My Native Land is Memory: Stories of a Cuban Childhood, winner of the 2021 San Diego Book Award.