Giuseppa Barbapiccola

[1] In her preface to her translation of Principles of Philosophy, Barbapiccola claimed that women, in contrast to the belief of her contemporaries, were not intellectually inferior out of nature, but because of their lack of education.

She starts with an apology and defends her translation against the arguments for women's intellectual inferiority, such as those advanced by Homer, Herodotus, and Claude Fleury.

Barbapiccola subsequently provides an account of women's achievements throughout history, citing among others Daphne, Diotima, Queen Christina of Sweden and Anne Lefevre.

[6] But then if one looks carefully and clearly, women should not be excluded from the study of the sciences, since their spirits are more elevated and they are not inferior to men in terms of the greatest virtues."

As she seeks to counterbalance the deficiencies of women's traditional education in "the Catechism, sewing, diverse little works, singing, dance, fashion dress, courteous behaviour, and polite speech".