Fancy, Sense, Wit: modes of reason in Margaret Cavendish's feminist philosophy

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the meaning of reason in Margaret Cavendish’s work by means of three pairs: reason/fantasy, reason/good sense and reason/wit. Our hypothesis is that these allow us to articulate differences with other XVIIth-century perspectives about reason. Firstly, we consider fantasy, which is, according to Cavendish, a legitimate speculative practice not opposed to reason. Secondly, we expose the author’s thoughts about the role of reason in scientific research. We support the interpretation that her critical position about instruments wasn’t anti-scientific; rather, she believed it necessary to integrate the results of observations and experiments to the theories dictated by “reason and good sense”. Finally, we focus on reason in terms of knowledge and power circulation, inseparable from gender.