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Wollestonecraft criticized Rousseau on which of the following points?

1) his prioritization of reason over 'laws of the heart'
2) his prioritization of the 'laws of the heart' over reason
3) his belief that there is a moral perfection to each developmental stage in life
4) his belief that socialization has a detrimental impact on people's ability to act morally

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Mary Wollstonecraft criticized Rousseau for his view that women should be educated according to the 'laws of the heart' rather than reason, advocating instead that women are not inferior to men and deserve the same rational education.

2 is correct

Step-by-step explanation:

Mary Wollstonecraft, an English writer, philosopher, and advocate for women's rights, criticized Jean-Jacques Rousseau on several points. Her critiques were primarily directed towards Rousseau's views about women and education as expressed in his work. Specifically, Wollstonecraft disagreed with Rousseau's prioritization of the 'laws of the heart' over reason with respect to women's education. Rousseau suggested that women should be educated for the pleasure of men, focusing on domestic skills and virtues rather than rational thought.

Contrarily, Wollstonecraft argued that women are not naturally inferior to men but are seen as such because they lack the education that would enable them to express their rationality. She advocated for a social order that was based on reason where both men and women are treated as rational beings. A key focus of her rebuttal can be found in her seminal work, 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' (1792), which centers around the belief that educating women in the same way as men would benefit society as a whole by promoting moral progress and the ability to reason well.

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