Close Readings 'The Sovereignty of Good' by Iris Murdoch
Nov 10, 2025
Dive into Iris Murdoch's exploration of morality, where she encourages moral labor through an anecdote about a mother learning to accept her son’s wife. Discover her rebellion against Oxford’s analytic philosophy, advocating instead for a Platonic view of morality akin to mathematics. Murdoch's concept of 'unselfing' serves as a fresh alternative to divine guidance, challenging traditional beliefs while critiquing modern self-portrayals. A fascinating intersection of philosophy and literature unfolds, revealing her unique vision of goodness.
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Novelist Who Took Philosophy Seriously
- Iris Murdoch split her life as a novelist and a philosopher and insisted her philosophy was separate from her fiction.
- She treated philosophy as a serious, rigorous pursuit rooted in classical training and moral inquiry.
From Classics Student To Oxford Tutor
- Murdoch studied classics at Oxford, joined political clubs, worked for the UN Relief Agency, and became an Oxford tutor.
- She taught Greek, moral and political philosophy and left after 14 influential years following a scandal in 1962.
Platonism Against Oxford Modernity
- Murdoch opposed Oxford's dominant analytic trend that reduced morality to emotion and celebrated modernity.
- She returned to Plato, arguing morality is an objective matter of reason and perceptiveness, not mere feeling or will.
