Embracing Reality through Vision: Iris Murdoch’s Moral Philosophy

Since its origins, one of the greatest challenges of moral philosophy has been to analyse the foundations of human action, seeking to comprehend the norms and values that influence and shape every historical context and the way in which, through them, we relate to others. As the background of our lives transforms, also change our concepts. This is particularly evident times of crisis, such as war and postwar period, in which the Quartet lived, when «our words may no longer work as they used to» (Cumhaill & Wiseman, 2022). In this view, a moral philosophy that relies solely on choice does not always capture the full complexity of moral life. Within the Quartet, Iris Murdoch places particular emphasis on the importance of context, in relation to which she focuses on the moral concept of vision, which, alongside imagination and attention, serves as an exploratory tool for engaging with reality. Therefore, the specific objective of this presentation is to examine the role of the concept of vision as a fundamental aspect of moral realism. The study intends to elucidate how Murdoch conceives vision, initially by distinguishing it from an ethical approach based on choice, and subsequentially by considering the famous case study of M&D and its main interpretations (Murdoch, 1962). In conclusion, the presentation will underline the importance of inner life and suggest that our moral lives are deeply connected to how we use imagination to expand our vision of reality.