Mary Purcell and Max Ma’s post is part of our Behind the Scenes blog series.
After completing the Germaine de Staël (1766-1817) entry in 2024, the Project Vox team discussed our plan for the upcoming year. It was going to be a different kind of year because we were preparing for our 10-year symposium. This meant we would have less time than normal to work on producing an entry for a new philosopher. What at first looked like an obstacle, was, in fact, an opportunity! We decided that Project Vox would take the time to survey, for the first time, our existing entries. In doing so, we found that a few of our philosophers were missing a section on their philosophical ideas and arguments. Given that the aim of Project Vox is, in part, to provide resources for users about the philosophy of marginalized figures, this was a significant lacuna! In order to address these gaps, we decided to prioritize updating our existing entries for the 2024-2025 year. This led to the development of brief additions to the philosophy sections of Anne Conway (1631-1679) and Mary Astell (1666-1731) as well as a new entry on Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673). The Cavendish entry is currently under review and will be published once the review is completed. Below are reflections on this work and a few thoughts on where we expect to go with updating entries in the future.
Mary Purcell, on updating the Cavendish entry
When I was an undergraduate in 2021, I regularly used the Project Vox entry on Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673) as a resource in my research. At the time, the entry included a biography, secondary and primary sources, correspondence, her scholarly connections, and online resources. All of this was very helpful as a student new to philosophy and new to Cavendish. The Philosophy and Teaching section, however, was incomplete. The entry did not have a section on her philosophical ideas and arguments. Filling in this gap in the entry was a primary goal of mine after I joined the Project Vox team in 2023. In the summer of 2024, I began developing an entry on Cavendish that covered her views on the infinite, matter, freedom, order, causation and much more. As with all Project Vox entries, I aimed to provide a clear and interesting introduction to Cavendish’s philosophy. Users who visit her page will learn about her work in metaphysics and social and political philosophy. The entry is currently under expert review and will be published soon!
Max Ma, on the Astell and Conway additions
As a sophomore on the Project Vox research team, I contributed to completing the website entries for philosophers Anne Conway and Mary Astell, which were previously incomplete. It felt like an intellectual scavenger hunt – uncovering hidden treasures from their worlds! Our team began by conducting broad research on each philosopher, exploring their contributions in areas like epistemology, metaphysics, social philosopher, and even letters to other contemporaries. We then divided the missing sections based on our individual interests, allowing us to focus on what fascinated us most. What I was the most proud of, is that the team were able collaborate to produce polished and comprehensive entries for both philosophers over the course of a month. I grew as a writer, learning to distill complex philosophical ideas into concise, accessible prose–whittling a 19-page draft down to a single, sharp page.
The team was surprisingly seamless, transforming what could have felt like an intense extracurricular task into an enriching and intellectually stimulating experience. I had a lot of fun delving into Astell’s epistemology, I was captivated by her blend of Cartesian rationalism, Neoplatonism, and Augustinian thought. Similarly, Conway’s metaphysics offered a fascinating perspective, particularly her substance monism, which weaves a vitalist view of matter and spirit while challenging Cartesian dualism and mechanistic philosophies. What struck me deepest is how both philosophers, by engaging with descriptive philosophy, also offered powerful normative critiques. When Conway rejects traditional Cartesian dualism that aligns maleness with rational, immaterial spirit and femaleness with corporeal, or when Astell wielded rationalism to expose how marriage could trap women, they not only offered accounts in our explorations of the big, fundamental questions of the world, but also wrote for the intellectual and spiritual liberty of women, showing me how philosophy can be a beacon.
Next Steps
At the 2025 Symposium for Project Vox’s 10th anniversary, the team discussed the importance of updating the website on a more regular basis. Moving forward, we are committed to updating and filling in the gaps of existing entries on the website. This year’s entry maintenance was an experiment as to how updating entries as a team might look! The Cavendish entry, for example, was worked on by one individual over the course of three to four months. The Astell and Conway entries, although smaller additions, were worked on by the entire Project Vox team in a more compressed schedule. While the Cavendish entry is complete, the Astell and Conway additions do not constitute a full entry. The additions we added to each philosopher’s page are meant to serve as temporary placeholders for what will be a full entry in the future. There is much more work to be done! Prioritizing regular updates will allow us to return to these entries and, eventually, develop a full entry.
Mary Purcell is a 2nd year PhD student in Philosophy. She currently works as the Project Vox’s Research Lead.
Max Ma is an undergraduate double majoring in Philosophy and Political Science. He works on the research team for Project Vox.
