This chapter provides a detailed overview of Murdoch’s philosophy as a whole, reviewing its major themes, chartings its influence and contributions to current thought, and suggesting its future prospects and applications. As such, it offers a summary of many of the themes contained in the... see more

This chapter draws certain analogies and conceptual linkages between the two-way movement in philosophy central to Murdoch’s understanding of metaphysics and a similar pattern in her theory of the novel: the tension between form and contingency. I explore the connection Murdoch draws betwe... see more

This chapter extends Murdoch’s retrieval of metaphysics into the debate over the role of literature in ethical inquiry. It challenges one of the standard interpretations of Murdoch as an antitheorist who defended the moral efficacy of art and narrative over “theory.” Although Murdoch was o... see more

This chapter situates Murdoch’s thought amidst recent efforts to retrieve the forms and practices of ancient philosophy. Thanks in large part to the work of Hadot, there has been renewed interest in the ancient idea of spiritual exercises, prompting a fundamental rethinking of philosophy a... see more

This chapter undertakes an assessment of Murdoch’s contributions to political thought through a wide-ranging analysis of her writings on liberalism. Its central thesis is that Murdoch’s mature position seeks to accommodate a liberal respect for the individual within the framework of her Pl... see more