Maria Gaetana Agnesi: Intellectual Women In The 18th Century

Early in the 18th century when women started to make a name for themselves in the mathematical world. Despite it being known that most men were allowed to study and practice mathematics, yet “intellectual women were admired by men, [and] they were never ridiculed for being intellectual and educated” (Unlu). Because men were more encouraged, but a woman of a higher class who possesses a great intellectual mind and has a potential for pursuing mathematics are acknowledged and highly encouraged. Furthermore, up until now, the only known mathematicians are mostly men and there have been only a few female mathematicians that are known to us but hardly mentioned – or not at all. Maria Gaetana Agnesi was a known genius, yet only a few people know
However, there are few exceptions that women are able to be involved in these types of gatherings. During the 18th century, women with a great financial status can easily partake in this kind of gatherings; because they were more likely encourage to be shown off to others due to their intellectual knowledge. Moreover, Agnesi “expressed her convictions that women should be educated” (Unlu) and her “concern[s] for strengthening and modernizing education was a leitmotif of [her] writing and spiritual activity. Like other enlightened Catholics who looked to improve the education of the young and the poor, she argued for a more effective integration of the modern sciences in Catholic pedagogy and for the inclusion of women in the educational process”(Mazzotti 673). The Witch of Agnesi is not specifically important, but “it is the one that made [her] famous and earned her a spot in many contemporary calculus books” (Cupillari 6). Even though she kept her life private after her parent’s death, her dedication to mathematics did not perish. Her contributions to the mathematical world are remarkably important, and these contributions are sufficient enough to praise her talents as a mathematician. Gray and Malakyan states that “she was elected a member of the Bologna Academy of Sciences, [which is] an extremely rare honor for a woman. In 1749, the year following publication of Instituzioni analitiche, Pope Benedict XIV appointed her honorary lecturer at the University, a position that she may or may not have accepted” (267). Despite possessing a great talent for mathematics, yet she her dedication in mathematics was to obey her father’s wish, which is only to showcase her talents to his other intellectual friends. Thus, she used her knowledge and skills in order to teach and help her siblings, and “she wrote [the book] only to serve young students in