Simone de Beauvoir: the power of intellectual advocacy

Simone de Beauvoir, born in 1908, was an influential writer, feminist, social theorist and philosopher.

She is known for her 1949 book, The Second Sex, which changed the way society at large thinks about the role of women. Beauvoir authored the Manifesto of the 343, which set the stage for legalising birth control and abortion in France.

Beauvoir was also deeply engaged in politics and one of the original editors of the left-wing French publication Les Temps Modernes.

• Challenging the status quo. Beauvoir challenged societal expectations of women. As a secondary school teacher, she was fired from multiple jobs for teaching about feminism, morally corrupting the youth.
• Embracing ambiguity. Beauvoir published the book Ethics of Ambiguity. Instead of focusing on one perspective, she recognised that social problems result from systemic and individual issues.
• Celebrating intellectualism. Beauvoir embraced the intellectual quest of deriving knowledge from reason.