Female philosophers: Héloïse

Hypatia of Alexandria

Why do we love? A philosophical enquiry

Mary Beard: women and power

An interview with Simone de Beauvoir

The problem of harassment in science

Agnes Callard on the agency of becoming

There can be no sin committed from love – the radical ethics of Héloïse

The life of Héloïse is usually framed as a tragic love story. In 12th-century France, the brilliant young scholar fell deeply in love with her tutor, the philosopher Abelard, only for their passionate romance to meet a violent end when her uncle discovered it. Castrated and shamed, Abelard became a monk. Heartbroken, Héloïse became a nun, eventually rising to the position of abbess. And although their love would endure through the famed and heartfelt letters they exchanged following their separation, they would live apart for the rest of their lives.

This Aeon Original animation reframes Héloïse’s........

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