Giuseppa Eleonora Barbapiccola (1702 – ca 1740) was an Italian natural philosopher, poet and translator. She is best known for her translation of René Descartes' ''

Principles of Philosophy ''Principles of Philosophy'' ( la, Principia Philosophiae) is a book by René Descartes. In essence, it is a synthesis of the ''Discourse on Method'' and ''Meditations on First Philosophy''.Guy Durandin, ''Les Principes de la Philosophie. Intro ...

'' to Italian in 1722. In her preface to her translation of ''Principles of Philosophy'', Barbapiccola claimed that women, in contrast to the belief of her contemporaries, were not intellectually inferior out of nature, but because of their lack of education. Neapolitan scholars credited Barbapiccola as the individual who brought Cartesianism thought to Italy.

Background

Barbapiccola was probably born in Naples, and her family seemed to have originally come from Salerno. Her uncle was Tommaso Maria Alfani, an acclaimed Dominican preacher in Naples and a correspondent of Giambattista Vico. Although nothing is known of her parents, it is arguable that her uncle influenced her upbringing in education and learning. She was a member of the

Accademia degli Arcadi The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", was an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi. History F ...

in Bologna under the name ''Myristic''. She often published her poems in collaboration with her friend, the poet Luisa Vico.

Education

There is no known information on Barbapiccola's formal education. However, it is suggested that much of her knowledge accumulated by means of conversations in Neapolitan salons. In particular, it was most likely in the home of Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico where she obtained most of her knowledge, as Vico was the father of her close friend, Luisa From her correspondence with Vico's daughter and with Vico himself it can be deducted that she was a close friend of the Vico family and a noted member of the Neapolitan intellectual circles.

Preface: The role for women and education

In the lengthy preface to her translation of René Descartes' ''

'' to Italian, published in 1722, Barbapiccola defended women's intellectual ability, their right to meaningful education, and their claim to a voice in an intellectual discourse dominated by men. She starts with an apology and defends her translation against the arguments for women's intellectual inferiority, such as those advanced by Homer, Herodotus, and

Claude Fleury Claude Fleury (6 December 1640, Paris – 14 July 1723, Paris), was a French priest, jurist, and ecclesiastical historian. Destined for the bar, he was educated at the elite, Jesuit College de Clermont (now that of Louis-le-Grand) in Paris. In 16 ...

. Barbapiccola subsequently provides an account of women's achievements throughout history, citing among others Daphne,

Diotima Diotima may refer to: People * Diotima of Mantinea, an ancient female philosopher and tutor of Socrates * Pen-name of Esme Wynn-Tyson, British author. * Pseudonym of Susette Borkenstein Gontard in poetry by Friedrich Hölderlin * Pseudonym of Erm ...

Queen Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December (New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death ...

and Anne Lefevre. She also seeks to disseminate the

Cartesian philosophy Cartesianism is the philosophical and scientific system of René Descartes and its subsequent development by other seventeenth century thinkers, most notably François Poullain de la Barre, Nicolas Malebranche and Baruch Spinoza. Descartes is ...

of Descartes, who accorded intellectual authority to women. She dedicated the translation to Queen Elizabeth Stuart of Bohemia, with whom Descartes maintained an extended philosophical exchange. Barbapiccola identified women as the beneficiaries of her translation. As she seeks to counterbalance the deficiencies of women's traditional education in "the

Catechism A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...

, sewing, diverse little works, singing, dance, fashion dress, courteous behaviour, and polite speech". Instead she seeks to impart the clear and coherent method of intellectual inquiry of Cartesian philosophy.

In popular culture

Cibola Burn ''Cibola Burn'' is a 2014 science fiction novel by James S. A. Corey (pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) and the fourth book in The Expanse series. It follows the crew of the ''Rocinante'' as they join the flood of humanity out into the ga ...

, the fourth book of

The Expanse (novel series) ''The Expanse'' is a series of science fiction novels (and related novellas and short stories) by James S. A. Corey, the joint pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. The first novel, ''Leviathan Wakes'', was nominated for the Hugo A ...

, a spaceship bears the name ''Barbapiccola''. The ship and its name also feature in season 4 of the television series.

References

* http://scienzaa2voci.unibo.it/biografie/69-barbapiccola-giuseppa-eleonora {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbapiccola, Giuseppa Eleonora 1702 births 1740 deaths Italian women scientists Italian translators 18th-century Italian writers Italian feminists Italian poets Natural philosophers Italian women philosophers 18th-century philosophers 18th-century Italian philosophers Italian philosophers Italian women poets Scientists from Naples 18th-century Italian women writers 18th-century Italian poets 18th-century Italian women scientists 18th-century Italian translators 18th-century Italian scientists