Lecture
William Tyler
Monday 12.10.2026
William Tyler
The Rights of Women and Mary Wollstonecraft
Monday 12.10.2026
How to watch
This lecture starts on 12 October at 5:00pm (UK).
Summary
Following on from a previous lecture featuring Thomas Paine and The Rights of Man, we turn in this lecture to the mirror image of women and the fight for their enlightenment (ex tenebris, lux). Today we therefore meet Mary Wollstonecraft and her seminal work from 1792, A Vindication of The Rights of Woman. Despite personal attacks on her, the book survived and became the founding text for the ongoing fight for female equality in education, work, voting, and every other aspect of life from political leadership to military service.
William Tyler
William Tyler has spent his entire professional life in adult education, beginning at Kingsgate College in 1969. He has lectured widely for many public bodies, including the University of Cambridge and the WEA, in addition to speaking to many clubs and societies. In 2009, William was awarded the MBE for services to adult education, and he has previously been a scholar in residence at the London Jewish Cultural Centre. Link to William’ s blog with recommended book lists for his Lockdown lectures.