Episode Details

Dame Iris Murdoch was a celebrated Irish-British author and philosopher whose prolific career spanned the latter half of the twentieth century. This biography outlines her academic journey through Oxford and Cambridge, her early involvement with the Communist Party, and her eventual status as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. As a novelist, she earned prestigious accolades like the Booker Prize for works that examined complex moral dilemmas, human relationships, and the power of the unconscious. Her philosophical contributions focused on virtue ethics and modern Platonism, emphasizing the importance of "attention" and the objective reality of the Good. The text also recounts her long, unconventional marriage to John Bayley and her final years battling Alzheimer’s disease. Ultimately, the sources present Murdoch as a towering figure who bridged the gap between rigorous thought and creative storytelling.