Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals

(The 1st most important work is Whitehead's "Process and Reality;" taken together, the "200" year frame is quite possibly overly conservative.)Murdoch does not present us with a metaphysical "theory." Rather, she presents a comprehensive argument about the nature and purpose of metaphysical *inquiry*. It is impossible to overstate the significance of such a shift in emphasis.Murdoch carefully leads the reader through a study of metaphor, because the deepest metaphysical truths are the sorts of things that cannot be directly articulated. Whitehead is also clear on this point, a fact that many of his interpreters cheerfully disregard. But Murdoch goes well beyond Whitehead's brief defense of speculative philosophy, and argues for the necessity of "spiraling in" (my phrase) to ideas that are real asymptotically, but only ever ideal within the finite limits of human cognition. Hence the need for metaphor to approach which always hovers just over the horizon of what human thought and speech can formulate. Each successive phase of metaphorical expression takes another step in closing in upon a never achieved, "infinitely receding," center of an idea that we feel and sense, but can never quite say. (Plato's "Symposium" exemplifies this procession of metaphors, by the bye.)But what makes Murdoch's work so especially important is that she does not merely argue for this point, she *exemplifies* it in her successive development of metaphors, stories, and analyses. She does not simply tell us that this is how metaphysical inquiry is done, she *SHOWS* us in the very doing of that inquiry. Having mentioned Whitehead already, the example that comes to mind is of mathematicians who present us with the completed results of their inquiry (and Whitehead was, of course, a mathematician as well as a brilliant philosopher) in the form of theorems and proofs, but do not exhibit the full process *OF* that inquiry to we sad fools trying to follow their line of argument. Murdoch -- and to my knowledge, *ONLY* Murdoch -- explicitly peels back the curtain on that process of inquiry.Anyone with even a casual interest in philosophy needs to read this book, in order to understand how to do philosophy well.

'Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals' is as the title suggests. It is metaphysical in spirit and philosophical in style. The subject is one of many of Iris Murdoch's themes. Mostly she likes to help us find meaning in our lives by elevating our moral sensibility. She does that quite well. However, her style is not for everyone as it is heavy to read. One must decide the topic has relevance or that it has intellectual worthiness to engage in it's minute and often ponderous arguments in favor of her thesis. Good people lead spiritually more gratifying lives than, well, the opposite, I guess. That would be those who are not so good. But then there are good people and there are the really 'Good' people. The really good are those who have transcended their contradictory inclinations for the path set out by Murdoch. Murdoch's thesis is that 'Good', is above being, non-personal, non-contingent, not a particular thing among other things'. For Murdoch, moral consciousness and reality testing are synonymous. In a world where pretense is often the sine qua non of one's existence, healing our vision is a lifelong journey. Why not take this fine book along as your guide? I have, and I'm a better person for it. So I imagine!

The book addresses a broad array of themes, such as Wittgenstein, Kant, and Derrida, all from the standpoint of moral inquiry. Like one reviewer says, (I'm paraphrasing) the book is a little scatterbrained, but has a lot of insight condensed within each section. I found one section that provides some potential background for my own dimensional philosophy in this book. It's usually a good sign when a work has real ties to one's own theories, thoughts, and beliefs. To a very discerning standard, this book is on the verge of being disappointing, but significantly passes over the hump by providing considerable thoughtfulness on every subject related to the central theme.

Murdoch's book is not to be read through quickly. Only a fool would would evaluate her writing without devoting time to her. My impression is that she will be my good companion for a long time. She does not come loaded with presumptions and dictates and she is a welcome guest in my library.

Iris Murdoch was as multifaceted and brilliant a critic as she was a novelist

It is dense and not very interesting.

Looking around for some other author after devouring Chesterton (Everlasting Man, Orthodoxy), someone like him not locked into their times, I was surprised to find Iris Murdoch had sound philosophical training. My ignorance, I grant.Since this book can be bought so cheaply I did so. How absolutely refreshing for a thinker to give everyone their due, from Plato to Derrida. She adopts a quietly serious tone. It can lull one into torpidity one moment, then flash with a very striking insight the next.How do morals work; how fundamental are they to the fabric of reality; do philosophies that undermine moral absolutes do so from a moral standpoint?!This lady deserves to be read attentively. (Her Sovereignty of Good might be a sensible primer to this magnum opus.)On the side of the angels? Yes, I think so. May God have mercy on her moral soul.

Murdoch's meditations have a rare humanity to them for a work of metaphysics. The colossal scope of this work, spanning everything from Plato to Heidegger, the philosophy of mind to politics, morality and aesthetics is truly enlightening. Her witty and generous tributes to the likes of Schopenhauer and the qualified and wholly appropriate criticisms of the likes of Derrida, alongside clear and surgical analysis of Wittgenstein put this up as one of the most intelligent and unpretentious works of philosophy I have read. Wholly recommended to the general reader as well as the specialist philosopher, who she does a commendable job of bringing down to earth (but not too far).

I’m reading studying it

This seems to me very much a text of its time - fascinating, indeed wonderful at times, but too heavy going also a lot of the time.

A really interesting investigation dominated by the ghosts of Wittgenstein, Schopenhauer and Simone Weil. The section on Art at the beginning is particularly good. The enquiry into The Ontological Proof of the existence of God also is also not one to miss.