enthusiasm, talent and hard work alone would not get her to realize her goals. But life caught up with her. There was a romantic relationship with a colleague that went awry. The number of women philosophy graduate students dwindled the higher she got up the academic ladder. Then there was the realization that all the great philosophers presented to her were white males: no women, no people of color. Then she perceived that she was getting snubbed in the Department of Philosophy, not getting promoted and even having her ideas stolen and attributed to males in her department. Over time Penaluna writes,“ It was hard for me to suppress the uncomfortable feeling that the great philosophers whose ideas I planned to devote my life to, saw ME as the problem.” That is how Regan Penaluna began feeling regret over her decision to enter the field of philosophy where the preeminent thinkers were all men.
However, one day during the course of her studies, she came across a footnote in a monography by the philosopher Ralph Cudworth, of a treatise by his daughter, Domaris Cudworth Masham. Here was a woman philosopher at the time of John Locke more than 300 years ago! While much of Lady Masham’ s writings amplified the thoughts of her father, she did write that“ Women were as capable of navigating philosophy as men.”
Regan Penaluna was re-energized by knowing that there were more women in the field of philosophy even so long ago. The author began digging out old manuscripts to find other such women. An important find was Mary Astell( 1616-1731), a philosopher in the Cartesian tradition, who wrote multiple books of philosophy including one that caught the attention of Penaluna. Published in 1694 on two volumes, it was entitled A Serious Proposal to the Ladies. Mary Astell grew up in gentry where academic pursuits were discouraged for girls. But Astell enjoyed learning and per Regan Penaluna’ s account, Astell wrote,“ Ladies, since you cannot be so unkind to yourself as to refuse your real interest, I only entreat you to be so wise as to examine where it consists; for nothing is of worser consequence than to be deceiv’ d in a matter of so great concern.” Astell went on to plan for a women’ s college in England.
Penaluna’ s story becomes enmeshed in the writings of early women philosophers. She continues to learn and take emotional sustenance from others. She focused on the timeframe of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. One of the women philosophers who struck a chord with Penaluna was Catharine Trotter Cockburn( 1679-1749). She advanced the arguments from both John Locke and Samuel Clarke, creating some innovative thoughts in the constructs and a willingness to compete with her male counterparts. These women gave Penaluna even more raison d’ etre to continue in philosophy. The final woman philosopher who provided Penaluna with an anchor was Mary Wollstonecraft( 1759-1797). In 1792, Wollstonecraft left England for a firsthand view of the French Revolution. There she met and lived with a Kentuckian, Captain Gilbert Imlay, with whom she bore a daughter. That marriage failed and Wollstonecraft returned to England where she wrote several books. The piece, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, called for equal education of women and men. It became a sentinel work in feminist literature. Wollstonecraft’ s life was tragically cut short from sepsis following childbirth. That baby, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, was best known as the author of Frankenstein.
Regan Penaluna says that what she learned from these women philosophers helped her regain her academic confidence. They truly helped her find herself and recognize that her own story is part of a larger view over the centuries. It is her hope that we move from being gender-based in our thinking and that we adopt a more global-humanistic understanding. All people can contribute. This book places Regan Penaluna’ s own life struggles within the context of each of the four women whom she discovers. In the end, this is a book( and a career) with a positive ending.
So, why is a senior white male physician offering this book review? As I read this book, it parallels to the physician community. My medical school class of 80 students had only three women. I recall going to a Student American Medical Association( SAMA) conference in Philadelphia where there was a vocal call for 25 % women in medicine. Now, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges( AAMC) 55 % of matriculants to medical schools this past year were women. We may still laud past physicians who were largely white men, but advancements now come from notable physicians who are of all genders, races and ethnicities. As with Regan Penaluna’ s personal journey, so medicine has continued a positive path.
References
1
How to Think Like a Woman: Four Women Philosophers Who Taught MHow to Love the Life of the Mind, Regan Penaluna, Grove Press, 2023
2
Lady Damaris Masham, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Lady Damaris Masham( Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy / Summer 2026 Edition)
3
Mary Astell, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Mary Astell( Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) revised 2023
4
Catharine Trotter Cockburn, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Catharine Trotter Cockburn( Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy), revised 2023
5
Mary Wollstonecraft, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Mary Wollstonecraft( Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) revised 2025
Dr. James is an internist / pediatrician seeing patients at Family Health Center.
November 2026 33