Iris Murdoch and Mary Midgley on ethics and philosophical methods
(2023) ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY AND THE «OXFORD QUARTET» — Location: UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles (12.December.2023)
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- Abstract
- This talk focuses on Iris Murdoch and Mary Midgley’s understanding of conceptual methods in philosophy, particularly in ethics. First, I will explore some elements of Murdoch's conception of philosophical reflection in ethics as an 'imaginative exploration' (Murdoch 1956). Then, I will delve into Midgley's analogy between philosophy and plumbing (Midgley 1992). I will highlight commonalities between their views, specifically addressing: (1) the relationship between philosophy, science, and literature; (2) the idea of a form of 'responsibility' in philosophical practice; (3) the conceptual dimension of the method and objects of philosophy. Against this backdrop, I will argue that Midgley and Murdoch share a (Wittgensteinian) conception of philosophy as a therapeutic and transformative relationship to concepts. This conception involves the temperament and responsibility of philosophers in a way that is not only incompatible with non- cognitivist theories of moral language of the 20 century, but also differs from conceptual engineering approaches in contemporary ethics.
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Citations
Boldrini, M. (2023). Iris Murdoch and Mary Midgley on ethics and philosophical methods. ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY AND THE «OXFORD QUARTET», UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/25493