Кузнецов Михаил Юрьевич
Women Philosophers, Disciples of Plato

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  • Аннотация:
    Meet Axiothea and Lasthenia, the first women to breach the male fortress of Plato's Academy. In 4th century BC Athens, they disguised themselves as men to claim their right to knowledge. One, a sharp-tongued philosopher; the other, a brilliant mathematician. Their story is a powerful clash of shadows and fire, a forgotten spark of intellectual rebellion that challenged patriarchy and forever changed the course of philosophy. Speech for Eleatica XIV (13-16 September, 2025. Fondazione Alario per Elea-Velia Ascea (SA), Italy).

I


   When we turn to the history of human thought, to those distant centuries where the first seeds of philosophy took root, we often encounter a paradox: great minds proclaiming the universality of reason frequently left half of humanity in the shadows. Yet, amidst the darkness of this patriarchal past, among the austere colonnades of ancient Greece, names emerge that shine like stars in the night sky, pointing the way to the future. Axiothea of Phlius and Lasthenia of Mantinea-the first women philosophers. Their names, rescued from oblivion by the labors of historians and philosophers (A), demand not only our admiration but also deep reflection on how, within the depths of ancient society, ideas were born that would, centuries later, form the foundation of euopean thought.
   In the 4th century BCE, when women in Athens were relegated to the shadows of the domestic hearth, their voices rarely heard beyond the confines of the gynaeceum, there stood a man who respected women and regarded them as equals to men: Aristocles, better known as Plato. A bold visionary of an ideal state, Plato proclaimed a notion that seemed heretical at the time: gender does not determine one"s capacity for philosophy or governance. In his work Republic (Politeia, Book VII), Plato's argued that men and women of equal talent should receive the same education and bear the same responsibilities. This was no abstract utopia! Plato brought his ideas to life by opening the doors of his Academy to Axiothea and Lasthenia. These women, disguising themselves in male tunics to enter the forbidden realm of knowledge, performed an act not only of personal courage and heroism but also of historic conquest for the so-called "weaker sex".
   Yet, we should not be misled by the apparent simplicity of this event. Like any great undertaking, the presence of women in Plato"s Academy was fraught with contradictions and prejudices. Ancient society, like any class-based order, jealously guarded its foundations, even within the walls of a philosophical school where reason was meant to reign over delusion. Axiothea and Lasthenia were compelled to conceal their feminine nature. This act of disguise was not merely an amusing anecdote but a symbol of profound dialectics: to assert their right to knowledge, they had to temporarily deny a part of their identity. Here, we see the embryo of the struggle that would, in the 19th and 20th centuries, erupt into a powerful movement for women"s emancipation (suffragism), for the right to be heard without masks or pretense.
   The significance of Axiothea and Lasthenia extends far beyond their era!
   Thus, in turning to the history of these women, we do not merely resurrect the forgotten names of Axiothea of Phlius and Lasthenia of Mantinea. We uncover the dialectics of progress, where every step forward is paid for with struggle and sacrifice. Axiothea and Lasthenia are not only Plato"s disciples but also harbingers of ideas that-social, philosophical, and human. Their story teaches us that reason, like Prometheus" fire, belongs to all who dare to claim it.
  

II


   After Plato"s death, Axiothea continued her studies under the guidance of Plato"s nephew, Speusippus.
   Axiothea of Phlius was deeply engaged in the study of philosophy, with a secondary focus on mathematics. She devoted particular attention to Orphic and hermeneutic texts, examining their origins and interpretations. Unfortunately, none of her own writings have survived. Axiothea intellectual pursuits are known only through indirect accounts.
  

III


   After Plato"s death, Lasthenia continued her studies under his nephew Speusippus.
   Lasthenia of Mantinea is notably better documented than her contemporary, Axiothea of Phlius. This inclination towards the mathematical sciences stands in marked contrast to the predominantly humanistic focus of her "associate" (or "counterpart"), Axiothea.
   A significant claim regarding her legacy comes from Clement of Alexandria, who identifies Lasthenia as the first scholar credited with deriving the fundamental law concerning the radius (presumably referring to geometric principles). Lasthenia attempted to define the concept of a "sphere":
   "A sphere is a figure that begins visibly from a single point at the bottom, marking within it the content of its form, where all straight lines drawn through it are typically mutual" (artistically translated: "A sphere has a defined surface; from any point on the sphere, a line drawn to a point inside it remains constant").
   This definition by Lasthenia recalls the modern concept of a radius (R): "A straight line connecting the center to any point on the circumference or surface of a sphere," a concept later formalized by the French skeptical philosopher Pierre de la Ramée (1515-1572) in 1569.
   A more controversial, yet striking, assertion originates with Aristophanes of Byzantium. He dismissed Speusippus of Athens, Plato's nephew and successor as head of the Academy, as an "nul intellectual figurehead". Aristophanes boldly contended that Speusippus's entire corpus of known pronouncements and theories - encompassing form, the good, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology - were not his own work, but rather products of collaboration authored jointly with his amica (mistress), Lasthenia of Mantinea.
  

IV


   Axiothea was a woman of striking, almost unsettling beauty-tall and slender, her frame delicate as if carved from shadow. She stood over 1.60 meters, a willowy figure with a dancer"s poise, her movements precise yet elusive. Her hair was a cascade of dark, unruly curls, framing a face that balanced softness and sharpness in equal measure.
   Axiothea features were a paradox: full, sensuous lips that seemed always on the verge of a sly remark, set against a round, almost childlike face with almond-shaped, deep brown eyes that gleamed with quiet cunning. There was something intrinsically androgynous about her-a quality that disarmed and intrigued in equal measure. Her chest was small, her body boyish, yet her presence carried an undeniable magnetism, a whisper of something both intellectual and seductive.
   In temperament, she was sharp-tongued and serpentine, a mind that twisted through arguments like smoke. She had a way of deflecting blame, of turning her own missteps into another"s folly, her words honeyed yet laced with venom. A woman who thought herself always three steps ahead-clever, elusive, impossible to pin down.
   Where Axiothea was shadow, Lasthenia was fire (with prominent breasts). Taller still, surpassing even her dark-haired counterpart, she moved with the unrestrained power of a creature born to command. Lasthenia hair was a wild, tawny mane-some accounts called it "Apollonian gold," others a flaming auburn, as if the sun itself had woven its light into her locks. It framed a face that was unapologetically strong: sharp-jawed, with a Spartan severity in its angles, her features cut as if from marble by a sculptor who revered both warrior and goddess.
   Lasthenia body was a testament to raw vitality-broad shoulders, muscular arms, powerful thighs-built not for delicate contemplation but for action. There was something undeniably masculine in her bearing, a defiance in the way she stood, the way she spoke, the way she met the world head-on. She carried herself like an unbroken mare, untamed and unashamed, her very presence a challenge.
   Lasthenia personality was as unrefined as her physique-blunt, forceful, even crude at times. Where Axiothea slithered through words, Lasthenia hacked through them with an axe. Lasthenia had no patience for deception, no tolerance for weakness. Straightforward to a fault, she owned her mistakes with the same ferocity she owned her triumphs.
   Together, they formed a study in contrasts-one a whisper (Axiothea), the other a roar (Lasthenia) (B). Axiothea, the philosopher who wielded words like daggers. Lasthenia, the mathematician who solved problems with the brute force of her intellect. One hid behind layers of wit, the other stood naked in her honesty.
   And yet, for all their differences, they shared one undeniable trait: neither could be ignored (C)!
  

V


   Before epocha Pericles (5th century BC), Athens was a city of marble and malice-a place where women were shadows, less regarded than dogs, their voices stifled beneath the weight of tradition. But then came the Golden Age, and with it, a wind of change, subtle yet inexorable. It began with Pericles, but it was Aspasia of Miletus who gave it a voice.
   Aspasia was no ordinary woman. A foreigner, a philosopher, a courtesan who dined with minds like Socrates and sculpted the words of the great Pericles himself. In Aspasia`s salon, ideas flowed like unmetered wine, and for the first time, men listened-truly listened-to a woman"s thoughts on rhetoric, politics, and the nature of love. The Athenians mocked, of course. They called her hetaera, whispered of her influence as corruption. But history whispers back: she was the spark.
   Under Pericles, the law tightened-citizenship became stricter, yes, but something else stirred. Women of intellect, though still barred from the Agora, found new spaces to breathe. The gynaikeion was no longer just a chamber for weaving; it became, in some homes, a hidden symposium. Mothers educated daughters in secret. Wives debated philosophy behind closed doors. The daughters of Athens grew taller-not just in stature, but in spirit.
   Was it full emancipation? No. This was not Sparta, where women owned land and trained their bodies like warriors. But the needle had moved. By the time Axiothea and Lasthenia walked the Academy"s halls, the idea of a learned woman was no longer laughable-it was dangerous, thrilling, possible.
   Centuries unspooled, each one stretching the boundaries a little further. The Hellenistic age brought female poets, scholars, even rulers. Rome, for all its brutality, let Cornelia speak of her Gracchi without shame. Slowly, stubbornly, the world was learning: a mind has no gender!
   Pericles built the Parthenon, but Aspasia built something far more enduring-the idea that a woman could think, and that Athens might one day be wise enough to listen.
  

VI


   The ashes of the Peloponnesian War still clung to Athens" marble columns when Axiothea and Lasthenia arrived-not as supplicants, but as seekers. They came to a wounded city, its pride scarred by defeat, its streets whispering of lost glory. Yet even in its twilight, Athens remained the beating heart of the oikoumene, a magnetic pole for the finest minds of the age.
   Plato, watching his city"s aristocracy grow complacent in its grief, resolved to shake the dust from its soul. He would make "Athens great again"-not with triremes or tribute, but with the sharpened steel of thought. And Plato knew, with the certainty of a man who had walked the razor"s edge between ruin and rebirth, that greatness demanded open doors.
   The seeds had been planted decades earlier. Pericles, the golden-throated strategos, had dreamed of an Athens that reached for the divine-not just in its temples, but in its people. His companion, Aspasia, had proven that wisdom could wear a woman"s face. Now, a mere generation after their passing, Plato would let those seeds bear fruit in the shaded groves of his Academy.
   He gave them soil. Not equality-not yet, not fully-but a foothold in the house of intellect. Axiothea, with her serpent"s tongue and philosopher"s hunger; Lasthenia, with her lioness"s stride and geometer"s mind-they were living proof that talent knew no gender, only opportunity.
   The old aristocrats scoffed, of course. But Plato, that architect of human souls, had built his republic of letters on a radical truth: ideas, like olive trees, grow strongest when tended by many hands. And so Athens, humbled by war, began its slow ascent-not on the backs of slaves or soldiers, but on the unshackled potential of every mind bold enough to seek the light!
  

VII


   The stories of Axiothea of Phlius and Lasthenia of Mantinea, the first women philosophers to study in Plato"s Academy, illuminate a pivotal moment in the history of human thought. Their presence in the 4th century BCE, amidst a society that confined women to the margins, stands as a testament to the transformative power of ideas and the courage required to pursue them. Plato"s radical vision, as articulated in the Republic, challenged the patriarchal foundations of Athens by asserting that intellectual capacity transcends gender. By opening the Academy"s doors to Axiothea and Lasthenia, he not only enacted his philosophy but also sowed the seeds for a broader reimagining of human potential.
   Axiothea"s philosophical inquiries or Lasthenia"s geometric innovations-challenged the notion that reason was the domain of men alone.
   The legacy of Axiothea and Lasthenia extends beyond their individual achievements. They represent a rupture in the Athenocentric and patriarchal order, a quiet revolution that prefigured the feminist movements of later centuries.
   In resurrecting their names, we do not merely honor forgotten pioneers; we affirm the timeless truth that knowledge thrives in diversity. Axiothea and Lasthenia remind us that the pursuit of truth requires not only intellect but also the audacity to defy convention. Their story is a clarion call to ensure that every mind, regardless of gender or origin, is given the soil to grow and the light to flourish.
  

Theses


   1. Axiothea of Phlius and Lasthenia of Mantinea represent the first evidence of women philosophers, marking the beginning of female participation in the history of European philosophy.
   2. Plato"s Academy served as a "borderland zone" where traditional patriarchal norms of ancient society confronted progressive ideas of gender equality proposed by Plato in the Republic.
   3. Plato"s conviction that gender does not determine capacity for philosophy or governance prefigures modern feminist theories emphasizing universal access to knowledge.
   4. Axiothea and Lasthenia"s presence in the Academy illustrates the overcoming of gender barriers.
   5. The education of women from peripheral regions (Phlius and Mantinea) in Athens can be seen as resistance to Athenocentric and patriarchal order.
  

Footnotes


  
   A. Diogenes Laertius, Philodemus of Gadara, Diocles of Magnesia, Church Father Clement of Alexandria, Lucius Apuleius, Olympiodorus the Younger, Hieronymus of Rhodes, Athenaeus of Naucratis, Iamblichus of Chalcis, Menedemus of Eretria, Aristophanes of Byzantium et al.
   B. The fascination with philosophy of Asiothea and Lasthenia is special in that they grew up in Pythagorean families (sects), as the classicist philologist Konrad Gaiser (1929-1988) claimed, relying on the text of the Oxyrhynchus Papyrus.
   C. In addition to the ancient historians Philodemus of Gadara, Diocles of Magnesia and Iamblichus, I was also inspired to this historical view by the modern research of the contemporary American philosopher and classical scholar Charles David Reeve (b. 1948). Reeve, C. D. C. Women in the Academy, Dialogues on Themes from Plato's Republic. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.; UK ed. edition, 2001.
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