Impressions in the Brain: Malebranche on Women, and Women on Malebranche.

The article discusses Catholic priest and philosopher Nicolas Malebranche's thought on women and notes women thinkers including Mary Astell, Damaris Masham, and Mary Chudleigh's responses to Malebranche's work in order to highlight Malebranche's feminist sentiments. The author notes the Cartesian elements of Malebranche's philosophy, and special attention is paid to his accounts of the problem of error and the importance of freedom of the mind. Other topics include Malebranche's claim that women are the causes of prejudice, his commitment to the idea of free will, and his claims on the effect of biological gender differences on the pursuit of truth.