The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch

Abstract

Iris Murdoch started her academic career as a philosopher and continued as a literary scholar. The concepts she works on in the field of philosophy are mainly the subjects under the title of moral philosophy. She turned to the field of literature after she was convinced that it would be through literature to convey the philosophical subjects she was working on to a wider audience. Although she claims that her philosophy is not related to the literary works she produces, it is possible to see the reflections of her philosophy in her novels. One of the important concepts that Murdoch emphasizes in her moral philosophy is the 'self'. The ‘self’ problem has been one of the topics that many different disciplines dealt with. This issue emerges as a common concept that Murdoch emphasizes both in her philosophy and in her literary works. She has based her philosophy on Plato's allegory of the cave while working on this concept. According to this allegory, while a few of the people approach the truth, only a few of them can see the truth as it is. According to Murdoch, one of the barriers between man and reality is the 'self'. The self does not see events, people and objects in their own reality. The self paints beings and events outside itself with the paint of its own consciousness. The motive behind doing this is that he cannot bear the pain of seeing the truth directly. In order to cover up the disturbing nature of reality, the self makes it more bearable by looking at events and beings from the window of its own consciousness. In this respect, the self is protected from the truth. Murdoch considers it a virtuous act for the individual to get rid of his ego and see the facts as they are. She argues that very few people are able to achieve this. There are various situations – like a true work of art – that will enable the individual to get rid of the self. Some examples of self and unselfing are discussed in this study.