Mary Astell on Self-Improvement, Friendship, and Religion

Abstract

This paper analyses Mary Astell’s views on self-improvement and friendship within the broader context of her moral and religious writings. I highlight that self-improvement for Astell has individual, social, and religious dimensions. Astell sees humans as parts of a larger whole and emphasizes how humans are interconnected with each other and how they seek to be united with God. The social dimension finds clear expression in her view that friends play an important role in one’s personal, moral, and spiritual improvement and perfection. True friends for her are willing to offer honest and critical advice where appropriate, admonish, and endeavour the bettering of the other. I engage with recent scholarly debates concerning friendship in Astell’s philosophy, which have identified resonances between Astell’s view and ancient accounts of friendship as well as more recent accounts of relational autonomy. I argue that it is worth paying closer attention to the more immediate religious context in which Astell developed her view. Kendrick’s spiritual interpretation provides a helpful basis for my interpretation but fails to acknowledge Astell’s distinction between general charity and friendship. I develop an interpretation that takes seriously the role of the divine in Astellian friendship, distinguishes friendship from general charity, and acknowledges how friendship can be morally transformative.

Keywords:

• Mary Astell,
• self-improvement,
• education,
• moral development,
• friendship,
• religion