Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Weininger, Kant, Hume, Wittgenstein, Socrates, Buddha, Plato, Aristotle and Hegel are alleged to be misogynists.
The philosopher Otto Weininger freely admits his misogyny in his 1903 book Sex and Character, in which he characterizes the "woman" part of each individual as being essentially "nothing," and having no real existence, having no effective consciousness or rationality.[27]
Weininger famously says, "No men who really think deeply about women retain a high opinion of them; men either despise women or they have never thought seriously about them." The author August Strindberg praised Weininger for probably having solved the hardest of all problems, the "woman problem."
The notable philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer has been accused of misogyny for his essay "On Women" (Über die Weiber), in which he expressed his opposition to what he called "Teutonico-Christian stupidity" on female affairs. He claimed that "woman is by nature meant to obey." He also noted that "Men are by nature merely indifferent to one another; but women are by nature enemies."
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is known for arguing that every higher form of civilization implied stricter controls on women (Beyond Good and Evil, 7:238); he frequently insulted women, but is best known for phrases such as "Women are less than shallow," and "Are you going to women? Do not forget the whip!"[28] However, one must seriously wonder if this was a covert joke by Nietzsche, in reference to the now famous photograph of Lou Salome sitting in a wooden cart holding a whip, with Nietzsche and Paul Ree in the place of cart horses.
Nietzsche's reputation as a misogynist is disputed by some, pointing out that he also made unflattering statements about men. However, this would only add his being misandrist to his being misogynist. While some may speculate that modern feminism is the worst form of ressentiment as described by Nietzsche, it would be meaningless to describe him as being anti-feminist because the notions of feminism and anti-feminism did not exist in his lifetime.
Whether or not this amounts to misogyny, whether his polemic statements against women are meant to be taken literally, and the exact nature of his opinions of women, are controversial.[29] Nietzsche had advised his readers to 'read him well' (i.e. not necessarily at face value) as to not misunderstand his statements and see the reality and fact of his words.
The philosopher Wittgenstein was influenced by Weininger's views on women [30] Wittgenstein enthusiastically recommended 'Sex and Character' to his peers and in the face of their criticism pointed out Weininger's greatness [31]
Aristotle has also been accused of being a misogynist; He has written that women were inferior to men. For example, to cite Cynthia Freeland's catalogue: "Aristotle says that the courage of a man lies in commanding, a woman's lies in obeying; that "matter yearns for form, as the female for the male and the ugly for the beautiful;" that women have fewer teeth than men; that a female is an incomplete male or "as it were, a deformity": which contributes only matter and not form to the generation of offspring; that in general "a woman is perhaps an inferior being"; that female characters in a tragedy will be inappropriate if they are too brave or too clever"(Freeland 1994: 145-46)[32]
Kant was convinced that there was merit to the view that white men are fools for first making great concessions to their wives, and afterward complaining on being driven mad by them.[33]
Buddha predicted that allowing women into the Sangha would cause his teachings to survive only half as long – 500 years instead of 1,000. Also, nuns are made to always treat a monk as her superior no matter how old the nun or how young the monk [34]
Socrates maintained that the courage of a man was shown in commanding, while that of a woman was shown in obeying.[35]
Hegel's sexism is seen in the following passage from his The Philosophy of Right:
Women can, of course, be educated, but their minds are not adapted to the higher sciences, philosophy, or certain of the arts. Women may have happy inspirations, taste, elegance, but they have not the ideal. The difference between man and woman is the same as between animal and plant. The animal corresponds more closely to the character of the man, the plant to that of the woman. In woman there is a more peaceful unfolding of nature, a process, whose principle is the less clearly determined unity of feeling. If woman were to control the government, the state would be in danger, for they do not act according to the dictates of universality, but are in influenced by accidental inclinations and opinions. The education of woman goes on one only knows how, in the atmosphere of picture thinking, as it were, more through life than through the acquisition of knowledge. Man attains his position only through stress of thought and much specialized effort.
