You can read more about it in this excellent Quartz article.
Our ignorance of history probably has many men being given credit where it wasn’t due. Isn’t it crazy that I was a major in philosophy and none of my texts or any suggested reading, talked about where Descartes had his influences? However, he straight-up ripped off her work and didn’t give credit.
Now Descartes is no better in my eyes than anyone else who doesn’t give credit where credit is due. I said in my past I was influenced by some amazing female mentors. I didn’t give my mentor’s names because I didn’t have their permission to mention their names when I wrote this. Frankly, I don’t have contact with two of them, and I don’t want to disturb them my feeling is they wouldn’t care if they got credit or not at this stage. Perhaps if I became famous then they would care, but I am far from famous so that isn’t a concern.
The point of my sharing this is that we have to give credit where it is due. It doesn’t matter what kind of person gives us valuable information, we should always show that source as valuable.
What is the point of philosophy if it doesn’t seek the truth? The fact that they left out this woman’s Teresa of Avila contribution is inexcusable. Philosophy goes to such pains to define even vague terms, and then to just leave out the basics is really insulting. In my stupid immaturity I thought that if we could only think critically enough about things, the world would get better. You can’t think critically when you lack the historical context of information and Descartes.
I have read historical stuff before and my viewpoint of history is often changed. The history that was taught in the average textbook just can’t summarize the past. We can’t even summarize the present. Life is just way too complex to put simple labels on everything. Yet we do it as a matter of course.
Descartes you are not the man. Teresa is the man in philosophy.