Iris Murdoch challenged the intellectual climate of her day. She transcended the reductive, behavioristic view of consciousness, sought to transcend the theory of values that focuses on will and desire, and defended instead a transcendent understanding of goodness and the Good that can transform us, leading us to renounce our egocentric nature. Her positive view of individual freedom and value led her to oppose strict gender roles and structuralism. Murdoch proposed that, ideally, our lives may be a pilgrimage toward the Good. She believed that the experience of beauty and art can enhance the pursuit of the Good. And yet Murdoch shunned the quest to discover some meaningful, transcendent reality (God or an impersonal, purposive force) to understand ourselves and the cosmos. In her words, 'we are simply here.' The authors ask whether Murdoch's foregoing a search for a broader transcendent reality to understand why we are here is compelling.
| ISBN: | 9781009631594 |
| Publication date: | 26th February 2026 |
| Author: | Charles Taliaferro, Jil Evans |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 75 pages |
| Series: | Cambridge Elements. Elements in the History of Philosophy and Theology in the West |
| Genres: |
Philosophy of religion Theology |
Iris Murdoch challenged the intellectual climate of her day. She transcended the reductive, behavioristic view of consciousness, sought to transcend the theory of values that focuses on will and desire, and defended instead a transcendent understanding of goodness and the Good that can transform us, leading us to renounce our egocentric nature. Her positive view of individual freedom and value led her to oppose strict gender roles and structuralism. Murdoch proposed that, ideally, our lives may be a pilgrimage toward the Good. She believed that the experience of beauty and art can enhance the pursuit of the Good. And yet Murdoch shunned the quest to discover some meaningful, transcendent reality (God or an impersonal, purposive force) to understand ourselves and the cosmos. In her words, 'we are simply here.' The authors ask whether Murdoch's foregoing a search for a broader transcendent reality to understand why we are here is compelling.
Iris Murdoch and the Transcendent features in the following genres: Philosophy of religion, Theology
Iris Murdoch and the Transcendent is available in Paperback, Hardback
Iris Murdoch and the Transcendent was written by Charles Taliaferro, Jil Evans and published by Cambridge University Press
Iris Murdoch and the Transcendent has 75 pages
Yes it is part of Cambridge Elements. Elements in the History of Philosophy and Theology in the West series
£16.20