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Mary Daly

Born

in Schenectady, New York, The United States

October 16, 1928

Died

January 03, 2010

Genre

Women & Gender Studies, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy

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Mary Daly was an American philosopher, theologian, and one of the most influential yet controversial voices in radical feminism. Raised in a devout Irish Catholic family in Schenectady, New York, she earned degrees in English, religion, theology, and philosophy, including doctorates from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland at a time when few women pursued advanced theological study. Daly joined the faculty of Boston College in 1967, where she taught theology, feminist ethics, and women's studies for more than three decades. Her first major work, The Church and the Second Sex (1968), challenged the Catholic Church's treatment of women while still seeking reform from within. By the early 1970s, however, she had rejected Christianity alt Mary Daly was an American philosopher, theologian, and one of the most influential yet controversial voices in radical feminism. Raised in a devout Irish Catholic family in Schenectady, New York, she earned degrees in English, religion, theology, and philosophy, including doctorates from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland at a time when few women pursued advanced theological study. Daly joined the faculty of Boston College in 1967, where she taught theology, feminist ethics, and women's studies for more than three decades. Her first major work, The Church and the Second Sex (1968), challenged the Catholic Church's treatment of women while still seeking reform from within. By the early 1970s, however, she had rejected Christianity altogether, arguing that patriarchal religion was incompatible with women's liberation. This shift shaped her later writings, beginning with the landmark Beyond God the Father (1973), followed by Gyn/Ecology (1978), Pure Lust (1984), and Websters' First New Intergalactic Wickedary of the English Language (1987). These books combined philosophy, theology, social criticism, mythology, and inventive language to develop a distinctly feminist worldview that rejected traditional structures of authority. Daly became known for her uncompromising critiques of patriarchy, organized religion, and male-dominated institutions, as well as her belief that language itself could reinforce or challenge oppression. Her teaching career ended in 1999 after a prolonged dispute with Boston College over her refusal to admit men to certain advanced women's studies classes, arguing that women required a male-free environment for open discussion. The conflict led to legal action, a confidential settlement, and her departure from the university, an episode she later recounted in Amazon Grace. Beyond feminist philosophy, Daly advocated ethical vegetarianism, animal rights, and ecological awareness, viewing all forms of domination as interconnected. At the same time, many aspects of her work generated significant criticism. Scholars and activists challenged her writings for essentialist views of gender, insufficient engagement with race, and later comments widely regarded as transphobic. Her disagreements with writers such as Audre Lorde also became defining moments in debates over race and diversity within feminist thought. Despite these controversies, Daly's influence on feminist theology was profound, opening new avenues for women to critique religious traditions and redefine spiritual language. Her ideas inspired generations of feminist scholars while continuing to provoke debate about the limits and responsibilities of radical theory. She remained an active lecturer and writer after leaving academia, speaking internationally on feminism, religion, and philosophy. Mary Daly died in Gardner, Massachusetts, on January 3, 2010. Her papers are preserved in the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College, and her writings continue to be studied as major contributions to feminist philosophy, religious criticism, and the intellectual history of twentieth-century feminism. ...more

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Average rating: 4.01 · 4,427 ratings · 233 reviews · 44 distinct works • Similar authors

	Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism by Mary Daly, Emily Culpepper (Illustrator) 3.89 avg rating — 1,558 ratings — published 1978 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation 3.94 avg rating — 875 ratings — published 1973 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Church and the Second Sex 3.88 avg rating — 172 ratings — published 1968 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Websters' First New Intergalactic Wickedary of the English Language by Mary Daly, Jane Caputi (Editor) 4.18 avg rating — 159 ratings — published 1987 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pure Lust: Elemental Feminist Philosophy 4.01 avg rating — 156 ratings — published 1984 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Outercourse 3.78 avg rating — 72 ratings — published 1992 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Amazon Grace: Re-Calling the Courage to Sin Big 4.12 avg rating — 58 ratings — published 2006 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Quintessence...Realizing the Archaic Future: A Radical Elemental Feminist Manifesto 4.11 avg rating — 56 ratings — published 1998 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Mary Daly Reader by Mary Daly, Jennifer Rycenga (Editor), Linda Barufaldi (Editor) 3.81 avg rating — 26 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Brujedario. Primer Diccionario de las Tejedoras de Palabras by Mary Daly, Sudie Rakusin (Goodreads Author) (drawings), Carmen Martín Rojas (translator) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Mary Daly (?)

“The word ‘sin’ is derived from the Indo-European root ‘es-,’ meaning ‘to be.’ When I discovered this etymology, I intuitively understood that for a [person] trapped in patriarchy, which is the religion of the entire planet, ‘to be’ in the fullest sense is ‘to sin'.”
― Mary Daly

tags: carpe-diem, christianity, etymology, feminism, life, patriarchy, religion, sin

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“There are and will be those who think I have gone overboard. Let them rest assured that this assessment is correct, probably beyond their wildest imagination, and that I will continue to do so.”
― Mary Daly

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“Every woman who has come to consciousness can recall an almost endless series of oppressive, violating, insulting, assaulting acts against her Self. Every woman is battered by such assaults - is on a psychic level, a battered woman.”
― Mary Daly, Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism

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Mary Daly’s Followers (166)

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Mary Daly

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