Philosophy 491: Seminar for Majors in Philosophy

Philosophy 491: Seminar for Majors in Philosophy

The Philosophy of Iris Murdoch

Winter Term 2 2017-18 Wed 2-5pm

Professor Sylvia Berryman BUCH 310

Iris Murdoch was one of a group of women philosophers at Oxford in the mid-20th century who turned away from the prevailing schools of thought in ethics and advocated a return to ancient Greek sources of inspiration. Unlike Anscombe and Foot, however, Murdoch sought inspiration in the ideas of Plato, and from literature. In her philosophical essays and through her fictional work, she explores the struggles of contemporary human beings to make sense of their lives and to keep faith with the good in a world where atheism and materialism have undermined traditional ethical authority.

Readings (subject to minor revision):

Class 1, Jan 3rd

The Good Apprentice pp. 1-17; 'Void', Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals pp. 498-503.

Class 2, Jan 10th

Sartre, 'Existentialism is a Humanism'; Murdoch, 'The Existentialist Political Myth'

Class 3, Jan 17th

William Morris, 'Useful Work versus Useless Toil'; Murdoch, 'A House of Theory'

Class 4, Jan 24th

Murdoch, 'Metaphysics and Ethics'; Anscombe, 'Modern Moral Philosophy'

Class 5, Jan 31st

Plato, selections from Symposium, Phaedrus;Murdoch, The Fire and the Sun pp. 443ff.

Class 6, Feb 7th

'The Idea of Perfection'; Mole, 'Attention, Self and The Sovereignty of Good'

short paper due Friday Feb 7th

Class 7, Feb 14th

'Vision and Choice in Morality'

Reading Week

Class 8, Feb 28th.

Novel, student presentations: The Nice and the Good

Class 9, Mar 7th.

Novel, student presentations: The Black Prince

Class 10, Mar 14th.

Murdoch, 'Sublime & Beautiful Revisited'; Antonaccio, 'Ascetic Impulse in Murdoch'

Class 11, Mar 21st

'On 'God' and 'Good'; Kieran Setiya, 'Murdoch on the Sovereignty of Good'

Final paper proposals due in class

Class 12, Mar 28th.

'The Sovereignty of Good Over Other Concepts'; 'Against Dryness'

Final Paper due April 17th

Texts:

Iris Murdoch, Existentialists and Mystics: Writings on Philosophy and Literature(required)

The Nice and the Good; The Black Prince(read at least one of these two novels)

Evaluation:

Students will be asked to write two papers, offer a class presentation (10 min) on an aspect of one of the two assigned novels, and to take an active part in discussion. The relative weighting of the different assignments will be decided by class vote.

Class presentation: Final paper:

Short paper:Participation:

Policies:

Students seeking accommodation because of disabilities are asked to contact the instructor as soon as possible. Late penalties may be waived in cases of medical or family emergencies. This is a small-class seminar: preparation and thoughtful participation are an essential part of the course.

A respectful classroom environment is essential to communication and learning: students are expected to be considerate and respectful in discussion and to help maintain an inclusive academic environment.

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism, which is intellectual theft, occurs where an individual submits or presents the oral or written work of another person as his or her own. Scholarship quite properly rests upon examining and referring to the thoughts and writings of others. However, when another person's words (i.e. phrases, sentences, or paragraphs), ideas, or entire works are used, the author must be acknowledged in the text, in footnotes, in endnotes, or in another accepted form of academic citation. Where direct quotations are made, they must be clearly delineated (for example, within quotation marks or separately indented). Failure to provide proper attribution is plagiarism because it represents someone else's work as one's own. Plagiarism should not occur in submitted drafts or final works. A student who seeks assistance from a tutor or other scholastic aids must ensure that the work submitted is the student's own. Students are responsible for ensuring that any work submitted does not constitute plagiarism. Students who are in any doubt as to what constitutes plagiarism should consult their instructor before handing in any assignments.