What do you think?
Rate this book
Race, Gender, and Science
The Less Noble Sex: Scientific, Religious, and Philosophical Conceptions of Woman's Nature
"This highly-readable work traces a set of beliefs about the nature of woman that have informed, and in turn have been reinforced by, science, religion, and philosophy from the classical period to the nineteenth century. . . . [T]his book's analysis lends support to claims that the gender system affected our very conceptions of science." ―Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences
"An important book for the educated general public as well as for scholars in many disciplines. Highly recommended." ―Library Journal
"Students and researchers alike will welcome this carefully argued volume that so clearly traces the dominant contours of Western conceptions about women." ―Isis
"Nancy Tuana's book is brillant. In under two hundred pages she presents a concise account of how women have been perceived in relation to men in the Western world for the past 2,500 years." ―American Historical Review
"A wide-ranging discussion of conceptions of women in science, philosophy and religion from ancient times to the late nineteenth century, Tuana's book makes it devastatingly clear how powerful and how deeply rooted was the Western idea of women as men's inferiors." ―Women's Review of Books
" . . . an unusually readable account of the image of women from the Greeks to the nineteenth century, wedded to a highly interesting argument about the way religion and philosophy affect the direction of the work of scientists, and how the work of scientists is used by philosophers and clergy to give authority to the more abstract world of ideas." ―Magill Book Reviews
Provides a framework for understanding the persistence of the Western patriarchal view of woman as inferior. Tuana examines beliefs that were accepted a priori as evidence of women's inferiority and studies early theories of woman's nature to illustrate the way scientific literature, was influenced by―and in turn affected―religious and philosophical tenets.
"An important book for the educated general public as well as for scholars in many disciplines. Highly recommended." ―Library Journal
"Students and researchers alike will welcome this carefully argued volume that so clearly traces the dominant contours of Western conceptions about women." ―Isis
"Nancy Tuana's book is brillant. In under two hundred pages she presents a concise account of how women have been perceived in relation to men in the Western world for the past 2,500 years." ―American Historical Review
"A wide-ranging discussion of conceptions of women in science, philosophy and religion from ancient times to the late nineteenth century, Tuana's book makes it devastatingly clear how powerful and how deeply rooted was the Western idea of women as men's inferiors." ―Women's Review of Books
" . . . an unusually readable account of the image of women from the Greeks to the nineteenth century, wedded to a highly interesting argument about the way religion and philosophy affect the direction of the work of scientists, and how the work of scientists is used by philosophers and clergy to give authority to the more abstract world of ideas." ―Magill Book Reviews
Provides a framework for understanding the persistence of the Western patriarchal view of woman as inferior. Tuana examines beliefs that were accepted a priori as evidence of women's inferiority and studies early theories of woman's nature to illustrate the way scientific literature, was influenced by―and in turn affected―religious and philosophical tenets.
240 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1993
3 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 30, 2009
Reading The Less Noble Sex felt like stepping back into my junior year of high school (ie D&R). The book provides a thorough romp through the scientific, philosophical, and theological history of misogyny from ancient Greece through the Western tradition up to the late 19th century. The work is arranged by category of woman's deficiency - bodily, mental, spiritual, reproductive, etc. - and within each chapter the author describes the continuities and shifts of viewpoints and scholarship throughout the last two thousand years on these subjects. Along the way the reader is surrounded by delightful facts to gather into his or her basket of random bits and bobs of knowledge. I found that the most interesting portions, far and away, were the evolving medical views on the body and how these were influenced by the surrounding culture. It should serve as a warning to anyone involved in science or medicine that much of what we take as fact is very much a product of the culture in which the research occurs. A riveting history of quackery, the chapters covering the deficiencies of women's bodies illuminate such faux-science as craniology and the wandering, fickle uterus.
My complaints about the book are mostly about its writing and structure. I found myself wishing throughout that instead of organizing chronologically by topic the opposite approach had been taken, making the entire work progress chronologically. This would've cut down on the considerable repetition and made for a more fluid read. The writing is utilitarian and academic, and while I hardly expect flowery prose on the topic, I have read many better-written nonfiction works (last year's Fruit Hunters and Traffic come to mind, and more classically, even E. B. White's essays on raising chickens).
That said, some of the most interesting contrasts aren't really pointed out or explained. For example, during the classical era and age of alchemy, androgyny appeared to be the ideal promoted for women to strive towards, but androgyny became demonized in the 18th century. I would have appreciated more elaboration on the change, and also perhaps an exploration on the attitudes towards and incidences of intersex people, a question their apparent idealization begs. It also isn't always clear how much effect the pronunciations of ivory tower philosophers had on average women. Class is mentioned sparsely, and I wondered if the pronunciations of Aristotle, Galen, Augustine, etc. affected all women or, say, wealthy educated ones alone.
In general, The Less Noble Sex is a somewhat dry and repetitive exploration of a very interesting topic, and is well-researched and mostly well-presented.
My complaints about the book are mostly about its writing and structure. I found myself wishing throughout that instead of organizing chronologically by topic the opposite approach had been taken, making the entire work progress chronologically. This would've cut down on the considerable repetition and made for a more fluid read. The writing is utilitarian and academic, and while I hardly expect flowery prose on the topic, I have read many better-written nonfiction works (last year's Fruit Hunters and Traffic come to mind, and more classically, even E. B. White's essays on raising chickens).
That said, some of the most interesting contrasts aren't really pointed out or explained. For example, during the classical era and age of alchemy, androgyny appeared to be the ideal promoted for women to strive towards, but androgyny became demonized in the 18th century. I would have appreciated more elaboration on the change, and also perhaps an exploration on the attitudes towards and incidences of intersex people, a question their apparent idealization begs. It also isn't always clear how much effect the pronunciations of ivory tower philosophers had on average women. Class is mentioned sparsely, and I wondered if the pronunciations of Aristotle, Galen, Augustine, etc. affected all women or, say, wealthy educated ones alone.
In general, The Less Noble Sex is a somewhat dry and repetitive exploration of a very interesting topic, and is well-researched and mostly well-presented.
February 10, 2012
Had to read this book for a class. Not everyone can understand and therefore appreciate Tuana's style of delivery, but I do. I love this author and her book. I will continue to study her work. I recommend.
August 3, 2020
It takes a lot of talent and thought to write a book about such a vast subject while still being succinct and understandable to a wide audience of readers. It's pretty impressive that Tuana managed to get tonnes of essential information in there without feeling like she's rattling on. I don't 100% agree with her reading of some Greek mythology, but I still find it to be an essential resource when I'm looking for a starting place to contextualize the gendered aspects about whatever topic I'm trying to research.
January 13, 2023
read this for a class, but found it to be quite enjoyable nontheless. it takes an extreme amount of skill to connect the historical interpretations of a “woman’s nature” (ick) with religious, philosophical, and scientific reasoning. And to do so in a digestible way? Ethereal. It’s a dense book, but quite enlightening.
July 16, 2014
Tuana gives a Western Civ version of all the ways women have been found inferior, in excruciating detail. A good resource for anyone just starting to explore feminism, and a reminder to the rest of us of just how pervasive the idea of women's innate inferiority is. But, because it's an academic work and not exactly entertaining to read, I had to subtract a star. That's right: I prefer my academic works to be less dry.
Library copy
Library copy
August 14, 2012
A very intresting book that gives a good overview over philosophical and religious ideas about gender, though it was a very angry and bitter read, which is especially clear in the postscript.
Despite this it is a book that I think everybody interested in the subject should read.
Despite this it is a book that I think everybody interested in the subject should read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews