The texts of Pythagorean women: a touchstone for the modern perspective of "gender"

Abstract

The edition of philosophical texts by Pythagorean women, edited by Claudia Montepaone, presents several problems to a gender interpretation. First, doubts have been expressed about the authenticity of these women's writings. And then, we must be careful not to apply actualizing approaches to the Ancient thought, especially on matters about which women scholars use to be particularly sensitive, as the legitimization of women's domestic and subaltern role. The Editor invites to read the keynote assertions by the Pythagorean women in the context of the fundamental basis of the Pythagorean thought, to achieve a correct interpretation of these texts