Analysis Of Iris Murdoch's Theory Of Virtue Ethics

Iris Murdoch was an important twentieth century philosopher whose focus on virtue ethics stems from Plato and his idea of The Good. This paper will concentrate on Murdoch’s assumption that all humans are selfish, and that to live a moral life we must overcome the ego through a process of unselfing. However I will argue that Murdoch’s theory of unselfing can’t be successful in overcoming egoism.

Humans are naturally selfish creatures, this is a natural disposition due to a process of self-preservation and our development of the selfish consciousness. Individuals are constantly concerned with their own self-interest, such as children won’t share their toys because they are concentrating on their own pleasure and not the wants of others. According

Therefore, to overcome egoism she presents a process called ‘unselfing’, being able ‘to see and to respond to the real world in the light of a virtuous consciousness’ (Murdoch 1985, p93). The moral agents’ goal is to pierce the veil between how we see the world and reality. Here, Plato’s influence is seen through the analogy of the cave, looking past what we see as reality into the realm of the forms. By changing our perception of the world, we can gain access to truth, beauty and love (quote). Through the knowledge of The Good, individuals can develop selflessness. (EXPAND ON THE

However, I will look at everyday human behaviour as Murdoch sees morality as a constant process, which doesn’t become less relevant between actions (Murdoch 1970 p329). Selfishness and greed is woven into our society and culture through Capitalism. By looking at our patterns of consumption, it can be seen that what consumers buy isn’t necessary, but frivolous and to satisfy themselves (????). Individuals aren’t interested in looking outside of themselves, they are focused on new media, especially social media and how they are being perceived online. This is demonstrated by an episode of ‘Black Mirror’ called ‘Nosedive’ (Black Mirror 2016, S3, Ep 1); which focuses on the characters rating each other’s actions on a phone app. The characters then strive for higher scores which has the ability to influence their employment prospects and access to services such as taxis and flights. This critical view of social media highlights how self-absorbed individuals have become. Therefore I believe that humans have become so selfish that techniques of unselfing can’t ever work.

With the emergence of inflated egos and encouragement of individualism in Western culture, it is difficult to see how anyone can adequately practice the ethics that Murdoch is proposing. Furthermore, it is difficult to follow Murdoch’s view when there is no hint to when one has become adequately selfless. Must we