The Lives of the Philosophers: Iris Murdoch
Summary
In this final episode of the series, host David Runciman and guest Nikhil Krishnan examine the life and thought of Iris Murdoch, a novelist who was also a serious philosopher. They trace her intellectual journey from student Marxism and Oxford’s analytic tradition to her embrace of Platonism, arguing that she sought a new basis for morality in a godless world. The discussion highlights how Murdoch used fiction to explore the "good," viewing love, art, and ethics as interconnected efforts to perceive reality beyond the ego.
Topics discussed
Sponsorship and introduction
Introducing Iris Murdoch as a philosopher
Biographical background and Oxford education
Influences: Wittgenstein, Beckett, and French culture
Post-war Europe and Sartre's influence
Analytic vs Continental traditions and morality
Political evolution from Marxism to the right
Personal life, bohemianism, and Alzheimer's
Philosophical shift: From Aristotle to Plato
Plato's Republic: Ethics and the soul
Platonic Forms and the concept of the Good
Reaction against analytic philosophy and the ego
The subject matter of philosophy: Life and reality
Respect for the ordinary vs existentialist grandiosity
Why Murdoch wrote fiction: Argument and persuasion
Discussion of early novels: Under the Net and The Bell Jar
Novels as philosophical investigations: Conversions
Religion, ethics, and the reality of others
Love, Art, and Morals: The Platonic triad
Satire of abstractions in The Severed Head
Late philosophy: Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals
Reception: Novelists vs Academic Philosophers
Legacy: Bernard Williams and the renaissance of interest
The arc of the series and the principle of charity
Promotion of PPF courses and subscription
Preview of next series on aging
Sponsorship: Uber Eats
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