All
great philosophies and philosophers of the world have been those who made man
premier of their teachings. The first entity that man encounters in this
boundless universe is his own self. Centuries before, Socrates, who was
influenced by Sophism, asserted that the
real subject of man’s knowledge is the man himself. Out
of copious philosophers who emerged in ensuing phases some assumed prominence
in comparison to others.
Philosophy (from
Greek philosophia, literally "love
of wisdom") is the study of general and fundamental questions about
existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Such questions are
often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. The term was probably coined
by Pythagoras. Philosophical methods include questioning, critical discussion,
rational argument, and systematic presentation. Classic philosophical questions
include: Is it possible to know anything and to prove it? What is most real? Philosophers also pose more
practical and concrete questions. Historically,
"philosophy" encompassed any body of knowledge
"The School of Athens" by Raffaello Sanzio da
Urbino.jpg ~ Wikipedia commons
A Doctor of
Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin philosophiae doctor or doctor
philosophiae) is the highest university degree that is conferred after a course
of study by universities in most English-speaking countries. PhDs are awarded
for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. The completion of a PhD is often a requirement
for employment as a university professor, researcher, or scientist in many
fields. Individuals who have earned a
Doctor of Philosophy degree may, in many jurisdictions, use the title Doctor
(often abbreviated "Dr" or "Dr.") .. .. this post is on a woman, the first person to receive a
Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Elena Lucrezia
Cornaro Piscopia or Elena Lucrezia Corner (1646 – 1684) was a Venetian
philosopher of noble descent who in 1678 became one of the first women to
receive an academic degree from a university, and the first to receive a Doctor
of Philosophy degree. Elena was born in
the Palazzo Loredan, at Venice, Republic of Venice, as the third child of
Gianbattista Cornaro-Piscopia and his mistress Zanetta Boni. Her mother was a
peasant and her parents were not married at the time of her birth. Lady Elena was therefore not technically a
member of the Cornaro family by birth, as Venetian law barred illegitimate
children of nobles from noble privilege, even if recognized by the noble
parent. Worse for Zanetta's case, she was from an extremely poor peasant
family. Zanetta had likely fled to Venice in order to escape starvation, and
soon found herself the mistress of a member of one of the most powerful noble
dynasties in the Republic. Gianbattista and Zanetta married officially in 1654,
but their children were barred from noble privilege, which galled him.
In 1664, her father
was chosen to become the Procuratore di San Marco de supra, the treasurer of
St. Mark's Cathedral, a coveted position among Venetian nobility. At that
point, Gianbattista was second only to the Doge of Venice in terms of
precedence. Because of this connection, Lady Elena was prominent in the
Marriage of the Sea celebration, even though she was born illegitimate. Her
father tried to arrange betrothals for her several times, but she rebuffed each
man's advances. Early biographers' suggestion that she took a vow of chastity
at age 11 are disputed by Francesco Ludovico Maschietto. In 1665 she took the
habit of a Benedictine oblate without,
however, becoming a nun. In Christian monasticism, an oblate is a person who is
specifically dedicated to God or to God's service.
As a young girl,
Lady Elena was seen as a prodigy. By the advice from Giovanni Fabris, a priest
who was a friend of the family, she began a classical education. She studied
Latin and Greek under distinguished instructors, and became proficient in these
languages, as well as French and Spanish, by the age of seven. She also
mastered Hebrew and Arabic, earning the title of Oraculum Septilingue
("Seven-language Oracle. ] Elena came to be an expert musician, mastering
the harpsichord, the clavichord, the harp and the violin. Her skills were shown
by the music that she composed in her lifetime. She was
invited to be a part of many scholarly societies when her fame spread and in
1670 she became president of the Venetian society Accademia dei Pacifici.
Upon the
recommendation of Carlo Rinaldini, her tutor in philosophy, Felice Rotondi
petitioned the University of Padua to grant Cornaro the laurea[d] in
theology.[10] When Cardinal Gregorio Barbarigo, the bishop of Padua, learned that
she was pursuing a degree in theology, he refused on the grounds that she was a
woman. However, he did allow for her to get a degree in philosophy and after a
brilliant course of study she received the laurea in Philosophy. The degree was
conferred on 25 June 1678, [this day 341 years ago !] in Padua Cathedral in the presence of the
University authorities, the professors of all the faculties, the students, and
most of the Venetian Senators, together with many invited guests from the
Universities of Bologna, Perugia, Rome and Naples. Lady Elena spoke for an hour
in Classical Latin, explaining difficult passages selected at random from the
works of Aristotle: one from the Posterior Analytics and the other from the
Physics. The last seven years of her life were devoted to study and charity.
She died in Padua in 1684 of tuberculosis and was buried in the church of Santa
Giustina. On 5 June 2019, Google celebrated her 373rd birthday with a Google Doodle.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
25th June
2019.
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