Iris Murdoch was one of the best-known philosophers and novelists of the post-war period. Her leanings towards feminism can be detected in some of her most famous novels, but her philosophy suggests an ambivalence about sexual equality. In this book, Sabina Lovibond explores the tangled and controversial issue of Murdoch¿s stance towards gender and feminism. Lovibond analyses Murdoch's most famous novels and her key philosophical works, exploring themes such as philosophy and literature; the Platonic struggle in much of her philosophy; theories of education and articulacy; and the clash between religious and secular ethics. She argues that many of these issues need to be set against the greater context of a ¿social imaginary¿ in which Murdoch¿s work takes place. The first book to properly explore Murdoch and gender, Iris Murdoch, Gender and Philosophy is essential reading for anyone interested in Murdoch's writing, and debates in feminist philosophy and gender studies.

Introduction Part 1: A Woman Philosopher: Why Not? 1. The Prophet 2. Introducing Iris Murdoch 3. Murdoch and Feminism: First Thoughts 4. Imagining the Philosopher 5. Murdoch the Platonist 6. Sages and Charlatans 7. Socially Defective 'Knowledge' 8. Women as Interlopers 9. Homage to the Male 10. Female Epistemic Dishonour 11. Discipline and Autonomy in Murdoch's Ethics 12. The Story of M and D Part 2: The Simone Weil Factor 13. Attention and Obedience 14. Unselfing 15. Murdoch, Weil and Liberalism 16. 'The Whole Cannot be Saved' 17. Charity or Militancy? 18. The Thinker as Individual 19. Not Required: The Collective Interrogation of Consciousness 20. The Unexamined Life 21. The Problem of Authority Part 3: Men, Women and Learning: Case Studies in the Fiction of Iris Murdoch 22. Under the Net 23. A Severed Head 24. A Fairly Honourable Defeat 25. An Accidental Man 26. Nuns and Soldiers 27. The Philosopher's Pupil 28. The Book and the Brotherhood 29. The Message to the Planet Part 4:'What is she Afraid of?' 30. Decreation: A Woman's Place 31. A Shock to the System 32. Feminine Masochism 33. Paths to the Divine 34. Asceticism and Gender 35. The Erosion of Authority 36. Religion through Thick and Thin? 37. The Negative Moment 38. Vertical and Horizontal 39. Some Emotional Baggage 40. Afterthoughts. Notes. Bibliography. Index