Gender, Character, and Education from Classic to Hellenistic Thought

Abstract

Ancient thinkers often refer to gender in the connection of their discussions on characters. Certain characteristics such as the tendency to weep are labeled “effeminate,” whereas the virtue of courage seemingly indicates a type of ideal manliness (andreia stems from the Greek term aner for a man). In this chapter, I first outline the philosophical problems that are at stake in an investigation of characters, and then analyze the connections between character, education, and gender in Plato and Aristotle.