The Concept of Woman
A Synthesis in One Volume
- Theology
- Philosophy
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Published: 2024
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Publisher's Description
A comprehensive account of the concept of woman in Western thought, from ancient Greece, through the Middle Ages, to today In her sweeping, three-volume study, Sister Prudence Allen examined how women and men have been defined in relation to one another scientifically, philosophically, and theologically. Now synthesized for students, The Concept of Woman is the ideal textbook for classes on gender in Catholic thought. Allen surveys Greek philosophers, medieval saints, and modern thinkers to trace the development of integral gender complementarity. This doctrine—a living idea according to the criteria of John Henry Newman—affirms the equal dignity of men and women and the synergetic relationship between them. Allen pays special attention to John Paul II’s contributions to this holistic idea of gender. Readers will gain valuable context for current debates over womanhood and come to a greater appreciation of human personhood. Catholic Media Association (CMA) Book Award Morality, Ethics, Mariology, Redemption, etc. First Place (2025)
Endorsements (3)
“Sister Prudence Allen has done it! She sets before us a sweeping, philosophical analysis of woman’s identity, value, and purpose as it developed across history and disciplines. Readers will delight in her finale: God’s great gift of male-female partnerships established not through fractured identities, or through gender superiority, but by an integral gender complementarity of body, spirit, and will—the basis of flourishing human communities. A magisterial achievement, pulsating with wisdom and humility, The Concept of Woman is needed now more than ever.”
“Demonstrating her encyclopedic knowledge and capacious mind, Allen delivers an engaging tour of ideas and great figures across millennia concerning the perception of woman and man. Written with precision, depth, and not a little wit, this synthesis of her three-volume work provides an invaluable resource for all students of history, philosophy, and theology.”
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