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Floora Ruokonen Ethics and Aesthetics Intersections in Iris Murdoch’s Philosophy ISSN 1458-8331 ISBN 978-952-10-5118-0 (paperback) ISBN 978-952-10-5128-9 (PDF) Yliopistopaino Helsinki 2008 Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................. 7 List of Publications ................................................................................. 9 List of Abbreviations .............................................................................. 11 I Introduction .......................................................................................... 1. Preface ............................................................................................. 2. Ethics and Aesthetics .................................................................... 3. Earlier Studies of Murdoch’s Philosophy and the Method of This Study .................................................................................. 4. Murdoch’s Philosophy in a Few Broad Brush Strokes............. 4.1. Consciousness and Inner Experience ................................. 4.2. Will and Morality .................................................................... 4.3. The Idea of Perfection: Murdochian Moral Realism ........ 4.4. Imagination ............................................................................. 5. The Argument of the Thesis and Summaries of the Articles 6. Conclusions .................................................................................... References ................................................................................................ II Articles 13 13 15 21 26 28 31 38 46 51 65 67 Acknowledgements The research for this thesis was carried out at the Department of Social and Moral Philosophy of the University of Helsinki. I am grateful to Professor Timo Airaksinen and Dr. Heta Gylling for supervising my work. I also thank Professor Airaksinen for employing me in his project In Institutions We Trust. An important part of this thesis was written in that project. Professors Richard Shusterman and Dan Lloyd gave me invaluable advice and support at critical moments in the writing of this thesis, for which I am very grateful. The comments from the official referees of my thesis, Dr. Leila Toiviainen and Professor Arto Haapala, provided me with the necessary self-confidence for bringing the process to its end. I sincerely appreciate this. A host of colleagues and friends have helped me in writing this thesis. I especially thank Nora Hämäläinen, Matti Häyry, Katri Kaalikoski, Marjaana Kopperi, Petter Korkman, Martti Kuokkanen, Anu Kuusela, Marjukka Laakso, Kate Larson, Juhana Lemetti, Olli Loukola, Ville Paukkonen, Sami Pihlström, Susanna Snell, Tuija Takala, Risto Vilkko, Laura Werner, and all the members of the Hege reading group as well as the philosophy doctoral students’ reading seminar at the University of Helsinki for valuable comments and discussions. I thank Professor Tuomas Mäntynen for the cover illustration, Janne Hiipakka, Jaakko Pitkänen, and Julius Telivuo for helping me with translations, Godfrey Weldhen for revising my English, Auli Kaipainen and Joel Luostarinen for their excellent editorial work, and Tuula Pietilä and Karolina Kokko-Uusitalo for their help with numerous practicalities. I also owe thanks to the students of my courses and seminars. Their questions, comments and papers have taught me a lot and helped me to clarify my own thoughts. 8 Acknowledgements I have been privileged to share an office with such supportive colleagues as Pekka Mäkelä, Teemu Toppinen, and Simo Vehmas. In addition to the invaluable academic assistance I have received from them, they have spoiled me with their friendliness and witticisms. For all this I am truly grateful. My dear friends Sonja Autio, Johanna Jouhki, Tuomi Kariniemi, and Karita Lassila should be acknowledged when it comes to anything I might accomplish. I thank them for their unfailing support and encouragement, but also for the challenges and provocations that have inspired me so much. Very special thanks are due to my parents Marjut and Jorma Ruokonen and my brother Roope Ruokonen for their constant faith in me. The emotional and material generosity of my parents has had a very concrete impact on the finishing of this thesis. My most heartfelt gratitude is due to my husband Risto Vilkko and my daughter Taimi Vilkko. Without the relentless encouragement of these two this thesis would not exist. I thank Taimi for reminding me that she would prefer her mother to have a doctoral degree and I thank Risto for being a real-life example of the virtues of patience and unselfish devotion which I can only write about. The financial support provided for this work by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Alfred Kordelin’s Foundation, The Academy of Finland, and the University of Helsinki is gratefully acknowledged. List of Publications I “Sielun hyvyys ja hahmon kauneus. 1700-luvun tulkintoja kalokagathiasta”. Ajatus, Suomen Filosofisen Yhdistyksen vuosikirja 52, Helsinki, 1996, pp. 147–162. II “Tuulihaukan tarkkailua. Kauneuden merkityksestä Iris Murdochin moraalifilosofiassa”. Ajatus, Suomen Filosofisen Yhdistyksen vuosikirja 56, Helsinki, 1999, pp. 161–178. III “Iris Murdoch on Love and the Sublime”. In: Philosophical Aspects on Emotions, Åsa Carlson (ed.), Thales, Stockholm, 2005, pp. 83–95. IV “Good, Self, and Unselfing. Reflections on Iris Murdoch’s Moral Philosophy”. In: Personen. Ein Interdisziplinärer Dialog, Beiträge des 25. Internationalen Wittgenstein Symposiums, Band X, Christian Kanzian, Josef Quitterer & Edmund Runggaldier (eds.), Beiträge der Österreichischen Ludwig Wittgenstein Gesellschaft, Wien, 2002, pp. 211–213. V “Käytännön kokemuksesta kohti hyvää Iris Murdochin moraalifilosofiassa”. In Käytäntö, Suomen Filosofisen Yhdistyksen Käytäntö-kollokvion esitelmät, Sami Pihlström, Kristina Rolin & Floora Ruokonen (eds.), Yliopistopaino, Helsinki, 2002, pp. 145–154. VI “Iris Murdoch and the Extraordinary Ambiguity of Art”. The Journal of Value Inquiry, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2008, pp. 77–90. VII “Building Trust: A Fairly Honourable Defeat”. Sats – Nordic Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2008, pp. 46–68. Abbreviations of Works by Iris Murdoch ME MGM NP S SB SG TL VC Metaphysics and Ethics Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals Nostalgia for the Particular The Sovereignty of Good The Sublime and the Beautiful Revisited The Sublime and the Good Thinking and Language Vision and Choice in Morality