The Intellectual & Spiritual Roots of Modern Feminism

In this episode of Catholic Unscripted, Katherine Bennett and Mark Lambert are joined by author and scholar Dr. Carrie Gress to discuss the intellectual and spiritual roots of modern feminism and the contemporary crisis surrounding womanhood. 

For more information about Dr Carrie Gress and to read her work, follow the links below:

A recent article on how critics of Dr Carrie Gress' work completely miss the point on Mary Wollstonecraft https://thefederalist.com/2026/03/04/critics-of-my-anti-feminism-book-completely-miss-the-plot-on-mary-wollstonecraft/

The End of Woman

Something Wicked  

The Theology of Home Substack  

Drawing first on her influential book The End of Woman, Dr. Gress traces the ideological development of feminism from the Enlightenment through the Romantics, the French Revolution, sexual revolution and into today’s gender ideology. 

The conversation explores how ideas about autonomy, power, and sexuality gradually detached from Christian anthropology and led to a cultural moment where even the meaning of “woman” is contested. 

The discussion also touches on Dr. Gress’s more recent work, Something Wicked, examining the darker spiritual and cultural forces that have shaped modern feminism and the broader cultural revolution of the last century. 

Topics Covered: The origins of modern feminism in the Enlightenment Mary Wollstonecraft and the French Revolution’s influence on feminist thought How feminism evolved through the 19th and 20th centuries The sexual revolution and its impact on the understanding of women The relationship between feminism, the gay rights movement, and modern gender ideology Why the definition of womanhood is now under cultural dispute The spiritual and philosophical roots of modern ideological movements Recovering a Christian understanding of femininity Why only Catholic anthropology offers a coherent vision of the human person Books Discussed The End of Woman — Carrie Gress Something Wicked This Way Comes — Carrie Gress About the Guest Dr. Carrie Gress is a Catholic author, philosopher, and cultural commentator. She has written extensively on feminism, gender ideology, and Catholic anthropology. She is also associated with Theology of Home, a project exploring the spiritual meaning of beauty, domestic life, and feminine vocation. 

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