Iris Murdoch, Gender and Philosophy [Paperback]

Iris Murdoch was one of the best-known philosophers and novelists of the post-war period. In this book, Sabina Lovibond explores the tangled issue of Murdoch's stance towards gender and feminism, drawing upon the evidence of her fiction, philosophy, and other public statements.

As well as analysing Murdoch's own attitudes, Iris Murdoch, Gender and Philosophyis also a critical enquiry into the way we picture intellectual, and especially philosophical, activity. Appealing to the idea of a 'social imaginary' within which Murdoch's work is located, Lovibond examines the sense of incongruity or dissonance that may still affect our image of a woman philosopher, even where egalitarian views officially hold sway.

The first thorough exploration of Murdoch and gender, Iris Murdoch, Gender and Philosophy is a fresh contribution to debates in feminist philosophy and gender studies, and essential reading for anyone interested in Murdoch's literary and philosophical writing.

Introduction  Part 1: A Woman Philosopher: Why Not?  1. The Prophet  2. Introducing Iris Murdoch  3. Murdoch and Feminism: First Thoughts  4. Imagining the Philosopher  5. Murdoch the Platonist  6. Sages and Charlatans  7. Socially Defective 'Knowledge'  8. Women as Interlopers  9. Homage to the Male  10. Female Epistemic Dishonour  11. Discipline and Autonomy in Murdoch's Ethics  12. The Story of M and D  Part 2: The Simone Weil Factor  13. Attention and Obedience  14. Unselfing  15. Murdoch, Weil and Liberalism  16. 'The Whole Cannot be Saved'  17. Charity or Militancy?  18. The Thinker as Individual  19. Not Required: The Collective Interrogation of Consciousness  20. Thl)