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William Godwin > 
Anarchistic/Utopian political and social philosopher - husband of early feminist author Mary Wollestonecraft and father of Mary Shelley (writer of "Frankenstein" and wife of romantic poet Percy Byssche Shelley). A profound optimist concerning human nature, he nonetheless recognized the exploitative nature of capitalism and proposed a utopian restructuring of society whereby those who earn more than their basic needs would distribute the surplus to the needy. In his famous 1793 plea for anarchy, Godwin posited that the pursuit of happiness is the only object of personal and social ethics. In an early utilitarian leap, Godwin actually went on to argue that "Justice" requires the maximization of aggregate pleasure. His optimistic prognostics on the ultimate "perfectibility" of mankind led Malthus to respond with his dismal essay on population.
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More on this Website >
• http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/wgodwin.htm
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Mary Wollstonecraft, Feminist
Wollstonecraft's lasting place in the history of philosophy rests upon A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). In this classical feminist text, she appealed to egali... |
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Mary Shelley, Writer of Frankenstein
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, English Romantic novelist, biographer and editor, best known as the writer of Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). Shelley was 21... |
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