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Aspasia, a female philosopher,
Aspasia, a female philosopher, is rarely mentioned in history books. However, she was one of the most influential philosophical figures in Athens.
Her father provided her with an education. However, she was forced to leave her home and found refuge in Athens.
Since she did not have to conform to expectations for Athenian women, Aspasia could do many things that other women could not.
Create or join a
Create or join a learning community.
With the ability to create a community online or in-person, the opportunities to gain insights and engage with other passionate people are endless.
Try finding communities of diverse people who share your thirst for knowledge.
Aspasia opened a salon
Aspasia opened a salon where great thinkers of the day gathered to discuss philosophy and current events. Socrates later credited her as one of his teachers.
She cultivated a life designed around productive debate, collective learning, and community building.
There are three strategies she applied to become one of the most connected philosophers.
How to think like
How to think like Aspasia
Aspasia saw challenges as an opportunity to take the road less travelled.
To think like Aspasia is to embrace challenges and to defy societal expectations that can inhibit our ambitions.
If you believe the world needs your work, keep on persevering the same way she did with her salons and her school for young girls.
Turning challenges into opportunities. Instead
Turning challenges into opportunities.
Instead of seeing her lack of citizenship as an insurmountable barrier, Aspasia saw it as an opportunity.
She seized the freedom to design her life outside of traditional expectations, hosting her private salons and building her very own school for young girls.
Develop your power of
Develop your power of persuasion.
The ability to persuade people is an invaluable skill to succeed in your professional and personal life.
Understand what motivates your audience, identify and bring up needs your audience may not have thought of, and use storytelling to convey your point.
Delighting in debate. Rhetoric is
Delighting in debate.
Rhetoric is the art of speaking and writing persuasively. It used to be considered a civic art which Aristotle defined as “a combination of the science of logic and of the ethical branch of politics.”
This was mostly considered a masculine affair, but Aspasia ignored the traditional expectations of women and joined the heated conversations at her salons.
She embraced debate as a powerful learning tool.
Establishing a knowledge-sharing hub. Great
Establishing a knowledge-sharing hub.
Great thinking partners make for great learning opportunities.
Aspasia’s logic, debating skills, conversation, and eloquent speech attracted not only fellow philosophers but also artists and scientists.
Not only did her salons help her grow her own knowledge, but they gave Athenian intellectuals an opportunity to share ideas across disciplines.
