Which method did Wollstonecraft employ to reach her conclusion?

Mary Wollstonecraft, an 18th-century British feminist philosopher and writer, is best known for her work "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" (1792). To reach her conclusions in advocating for women's rights and education, Wollstonecraft employed several methods:

1. Rational Argumentation: Wollstonecraft used reason as the basis for her arguments. She believed that women are capable of reason, just like men, and therefore should be educated to develop their rational faculties.

2. Counter-Argument: She anticipated common counter-arguments to her position and addressed them directly. For example, she countered the view that women should be submissive and ornamental by arguing that such conditions deprived women of the ability to contribute meaningfully to society and self-improvement.

3. Empirical Evidence: While not empirical in the modern sense, Wollstonecraft did draw upon observations from her own life and the society around her to illustrate how the subjugation of women led to detrimental consequences for women, men, and society as a whole.

4. Appeal to Universal Rights: She appealed to the ideals of the Enlightenment, such as universal rights and equality, which were often only applied to men. Wollstonecraft extended these principles to women, urging for equality between the sexes.

5. Moral Appeal: Wollstonecraft argued that the moral development of society required the education and liberation of women, asserting that society could not progress morally if half the population was uneducated and oppressed.

6. Philosophical Analysis: She engaged with the philosophical thought of the time, critiquing Rousseau and other thinkers who relegated women to inferior roles, and she offered alternatives based on her analysis.

By combining these methods, Wollstonecraft constructed a powerful argument for the education and emancipation of women, which has had a lasting impact on feminist thought.