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The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch

Year 2022, Volume: 5 Issue: 9, 140 - 147, 30.06.2022
https://doi.org/10.35235/uicd.1125673

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.

References

  • Aksoy, N. (1989). Iris Murdoch, Felsefesi ve Sanatı, Marmara Üniversitesi Yayın No:462,1989.
  • Antonaccio, M. (2000). Picturing the Human, The Moral Thought of Iris Murdoch, Oxford University Press.
  • Baker, C. (2008). Sensibility in our Un-Christian Age: Two Approaches to Iris Murdoch’s Moral Depth. Christianity and Literature, 57 (2).
  • Goodyer, J. S. (2009). The Blank Face of Love: The Possibility of Goodness in the Literary and Philosophical Work of Iris Murdoch, Modern Theology, 25 (2).
  • Gordon, D. J. (1990). Iris Murdoch's Comedies of Unselfing. Twentieth Century Literature. Hostra Üniversitesi, 36 (2).
  • Kaehele, S. (1967). The Discovery of Reality in Iris Murdoch's The Bell, Modern Language Association, 82 (7).
  • Lewis, T. (2002). Iris Murdoch: The Imagined Life, Hudson Review. 60 (1).
  • Murdoch, I. (1997). Existentialists and Mystics: Writings on Philosophy and Literature, Penguin Group Publication.
  • Murdoch, I. (1992). Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals, Penguin Group Publication.
  • Murdoch, I. (1999). Sartre Romantic Rationalist, Vintage Publish.
  • Murdoch, I. (1959). The Sublime and the Good, Chicago Review, 13 (3).
  • Murdoch, I. (2001). The Sovereignty of Good over other Concepts, Routledge Classics Press.
  • Pinede, N. (2002). Finely Aware and Richly Responsible: Iris Murdoch, Martha Nussbaum and Maxine Greene on the Moral Imagination, Literature and Ethics (PhD thesis submitted to Indiana University).
  • Ruokonen, F. (2008). Iris Murdoch and the Extraordinary Ambiguity of Art, Journal of Value Ingquiry, 42 (1).
  • Schwartz, M. (2009). Moral Vision: Iris Murdoch and Alasdair MacIntyre. Journal of Business Ethics, 90.
  • Slaymaker, W. (1982). Myths, Mystery and the Mechanisms of Determinism: The Aesthetics of Freedom in Iris Murdoch’s Fiction, Papers on Language and Literature. 18 (2).
  • Vice, S. (2007). The Ethics of Self-Concern, Iris Murdoch: A Reassessment, Palgrave Macmillan Press.

Iris Murdoch’ta ‘Ben’ Sorunu

Year 2022, Volume: 5 Issue: 9, 140 - 147, 30.06.2022
https://doi.org/10.35235/uicd.1125673

Abstract

Iris Murdoch felsefeci olarak başladığı akademik kariyerine edebiyatçı olarak devam etmiştir. Felsefe alanında üstünde çalıştığı kavramlar ağırlıklı olarak ahlak felsefesi başlığı altındaki konulardır. Çalıştığı felsefe konularını daha geniş bir kitleye ulaştırmanın edebiyat aracılığıyla olacağına kanaat getirdikten sonra edebiyat alanına yönelmiştir. Felsefesinin ürettiği edebi yapıtlarla ilgili olmadığını ileri sürse de felsefesinin yansımalarını romanlarında görmek mümkündür. Murdoch’ın ahlak felsefesinde üstünde durduğu önemli kavramlardan biri ‘benlik’tir. Ben sorunu birçok farklı disiplinin ele aldığı konulardan biri olagelmiştir. Bu konu Murdoch’ın hem felsefesinde hem de edebi çalışmalarında üstünde durduğu ortak bir kavram olarak ortaya çıkar. Bu kavramı çalışırken Plato’nun mağara alegorisini temel alır. Bu alegoriye göre insanların az bir kısmı gerçeğe yaklaşırken, bu azınlık içinde çok az bir kısmı gerçeği olduğu gibi görebilmektedir. Murdoch’a göre insan ile gerçek arasındaki engellerden biri ‘ben’dir. Benlik olayları, insanları ve nesneleri kendi gerçeklikleriyle görmez. Benlik kendi dışındaki varlıkları ve olayları kendi bilincinin boyasıyla boyar. Bunu yapmasının altında yatan güdü ise gerçeği doğrudan görmenin vereceği acıya katlanamamasıdır. Gerçeğin rahatsızlık veren doğasını örtmek adına benlik olaylara ve varlıklara kendi bilincinin penceresinden bakarak daha katlanılır bir hale getirir. Bu yönüyle benlik gerçeklerden korunmuş olur. Murdoch bireyin benliğinden kurtularak gerçekleri oldukları gibi görmesini erdemli bir davranış olarak değerlendirir. İnsanlardan çok az bir kesimin bunu başarabildiğini ileri sürer. Bireyin benliğinden kurtulmasını sağlayacak çeşitli durumlar – gerçek bir sanat eseri gibi – vardır. Benlik ve benlikten kurtulma ile ilgili bazı örnekler bu çalışmada ele alınmıştır.

References

  • Aksoy, N. (1989). Iris Murdoch, Felsefesi ve Sanatı, Marmara Üniversitesi Yayın No:462,1989.
  • Antonaccio, M. (2000). Picturing the Human, The Moral Thought of Iris Murdoch, Oxford University Press.
  • Baker, C. (2008). Sensibility in our Un-Christian Age: Two Approaches to Iris Murdoch’s Moral Depth. Christianity and Literature, 57 (2).
  • Goodyer, J. S. (2009). The Blank Face of Love: The Possibility of Goodness in the Literary and Philosophical Work of Iris Murdoch, Modern Theology, 25 (2).
  • Gordon, D. J. (1990). Iris Murdoch's Comedies of Unselfing. Twentieth Century Literature. Hostra Üniversitesi, 36 (2).
  • Kaehele, S. (1967). The Discovery of Reality in Iris Murdoch's The Bell, Modern Language Association, 82 (7).
  • Lewis, T. (2002). Iris Murdoch: The Imagined Life, Hudson Review. 60 (1).
  • Murdoch, I. (1997). Existentialists and Mystics: Writings on Philosophy and Literature, Penguin Group Publication.
  • Murdoch, I. (1992). Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals, Penguin Group Publication.
  • Murdoch, I. (1999). Sartre Romantic Rationalist, Vintage Publish.
  • Murdoch, I. (1959). The Sublime and the Good, Chicago Review, 13 (3).
  • Murdoch, I. (2001). The Sovereignty of Good over other Concepts, Routledge Classics Press.
  • Pinede, N. (2002). Finely Aware and Richly Responsible: Iris Murdoch, Martha Nussbaum and Maxine Greene on the Moral Imagination, Literature and Ethics (PhD thesis submitted to Indiana University).
  • Ruokonen, F. (2008). Iris Murdoch and the Extraordinary Ambiguity of Art, Journal of Value Ingquiry, 42 (1).
  • Schwartz, M. (2009). Moral Vision: Iris Murdoch and Alasdair MacIntyre. Journal of Business Ethics, 90.
  • Slaymaker, W. (1982). Myths, Mystery and the Mechanisms of Determinism: The Aesthetics of Freedom in Iris Murdoch’s Fiction, Papers on Language and Literature. 18 (2).
  • Vice, S. (2007). The Ethics of Self-Concern, Iris Murdoch: A Reassessment, Palgrave Macmillan Press.
There are 17 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Creative Arts and Writing
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Firat Yıldız 0000-0003-3289-8313

Gülşen Torusdağ 0000-0002-4323-7097

Publication Date June 30, 2022
Submission Date June 3, 2022
Acceptance Date June 23, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 5 Issue: 9

Cite

APA Yıldız, F., & Torusdağ, G. (2022). The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch. Uluslararası İnsan Çalışmaları Dergisi, 5(9), 140-147. https://doi.org/10.35235/uicd.1125673
AMA Yıldız F, Torusdağ G. The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch. Uluslararası İnsan Çalışmaları Dergisi. June 2022;5(9):140-147. doi:10.35235/uicd.1125673
Chicago Yıldız, Firat, and Gülşen Torusdağ. “The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch”. Uluslararası İnsan Çalışmaları Dergisi 5, no. 9 (June 2022): 140-47. https://doi.org/10.35235/uicd.1125673.
EndNote Yıldız F, Torusdağ G (June 1, 2022) The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch. Uluslararası İnsan Çalışmaları Dergisi 5 9 140–147.
IEEE F. Yıldız and G. Torusdağ, “The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch”, Uluslararası İnsan Çalışmaları Dergisi, vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 140–147, 2022, doi: 10.35235/uicd.1125673.
ISNAD Yıldız, Firat - Torusdağ, Gülşen. “The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch”. Uluslararası İnsan Çalışmaları Dergisi 5/9 (June 2022), 140-147. https://doi.org/10.35235/uicd.1125673.
JAMA Yıldız F, Torusdağ G. The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch. Uluslararası İnsan Çalışmaları Dergisi. 2022;5:140–147.
MLA Yıldız, Firat and Gülşen Torusdağ. “The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch”. Uluslararası İnsan Çalışmaları Dergisi, vol. 5, no. 9, 2022, pp. 140-7, doi:10.35235/uicd.1125673.
Vancouver Yıldız F, Torusdağ G. The Problem of ‘Self’ in Iris Murdoch. Uluslararası İnsan Çalışmaları Dergisi. 2022;5(9):140-7.

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