Countering a Banishment in the Republic: Iris Murdoch and her Disagreement with Plato over his Attitude towards Artists

28520

This article is on a key disagreement the British moral philosopher Iris Murdoch (1919-1999) has with Plato (428/427-348/347 BCE), for whom she otherwise depends on for much of her ethical thinking. This article will show that while Iris Murdoch is both familiar with, and to a considerable extent belongs to, the philosophical tradition of the 20th century, she bases her ethical philosophy to a great degree on the work of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, particularly in reference to his idea of “the Good”. In order to demonstrate how her philosophical position draws so strongly upon the work of Plato, this article will firstly give an overview of the philosophy formulated by the great ancient Greek thinker. It will also examine Plato‟s negative attitude towards artists, as it is on this particular point that Murdoch disagrees with him. This article will then explore Murdoch‟s own attitude towards the ethical philosophy of the 20th century, and show what her points of disagreement with it are, and how they led her to find a solution to her moral concerns largely through Plato. It will also show that while she is generally faithful to the spirit of Plato‟s ideas, she approaches them in a very 20th-century manner. This article will then demonstrate that while Murdoch‟s debt to and respect for Plato is profound, she disagrees with his attitude towards artists, and will show her reasons for this, as well as her belief that Plato had such an attitude in part because he had not fully explored the implications of his own ideas

53

Moral Philosophy , the Good , Artist , Love , Unselfing

Afyon Kocatepe University Journal Of Social Sciences

71

Afyon Kocatepe University Journal Of Social Sciences