The Philosopher Queens: The lives and legacies of philosophy's unsung women

by Lisa Whiting & Rebecca Buxton

“The book aims to challenge the notion of the well-defined canon, which typically doesn’t have many women in it. We were also really keen to make a book that was written by women who are working in philosophy.”

We spoke to Lisa Whiting and Rebecca Buxton about their favourite philosophy books by women.

Recommendations from our site

“We have these really monumental-looking women. The way they’re drawn is really wonderful. They’re done in a classic monumental style that really helps to give the idea that philosophy has been something done by women too, not just recently, but for a long time. The pictures really help to underscore that point.” Read more...

The Best Illustrated Philosophy Books

Helen De Cruz, Philosopher

“This is the book of the year for me. Rebecca Buxton and Lisa Whiting are both graduate students in philosophy and they’ve co-edited this amazing book, which is basically the book that they wish had existed when they started thinking about studying philosophy. It’s a book that has 20 short essays about significant women philosophers. It’s skewed towards political philosophy and ethics, which is where their interests lie, but not exclusively, and it goes from ancient Greece to more or less the present day. It’s a selection of philosopher queens, women philosophers who’ve been neglected by mainstream curricula in philosophy. It’s also an illustrated book, which is unusual in philosophy.” Read more...

The Best Philosophy Books of 2020

Nigel Warburton, Philosopher

The book, according to the author

The book aims to challenge the notion of the well-defined canon, which typically doesn’t have many women in it. We were also really keen to make a book that was written by women who are working in philosophy

The Best Philosophy Books by Women recommended by Lisa Whiting & Rebecca Buxton