Iris Murdoch

Summary

Iris Murdoch is well-known for her moral philosophy, especially for the light it sheds on the inner life. This Element, focuses on the political significance and contours of Murdoch's ethics. Its chief aim is to illuminate the affinities between Murdoch's concept of the individual and the Enlightenment ideal of a society in which people live together as free equals. There are five sections in this Element. Section One provides context for the discussion. Section Two compares what Murdoch calls the liberal and naturalistic outlooks, and argues that she develops a modified version of the naturalistic outlook to better support an Enlightenment sensibility. Sections Three and Four examine the three main features of Murdoch's 'naturalized' individual. Section Three considers the individual's uniqueness and transcendence. Section Four considers the individual's knowability through love. Section Five offers some concluding remarks.