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Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
March 2025
Print publication year:
2025
Online ISBN:
9781009358156
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009358156
Subjects:
History of Philosophy, Philosophy: General Interest, Philosophy
Series:
Elements on Women in the History of Philosophy
Information

Book description

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 1 provides context for the discussion. Section 2 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 3 and 4 examine the three main features of Murdoch's 'naturalized' individual. Section 3 considers the individual's uniqueness and transcendence. Section 4 considers the individual's knowability through love. Section 5 offers some concluding remarks.

References

References

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