Iris Murdoch on Philosophy and Literature: Section 5

The areas in which philosophy and literature overlap are examined in this program by world-renowned author and professor Bryan Magee and Oxford novelist Iris Murdoch. Style and structure in philosophical writing are compared and contrasted with those in literature. The narrative abilities of Plato, Schopenhauer, and Kant are examined. Philosophy's predilection for accepting only literature that supports its theories is discussed as a source of antagonism between the two disciplines.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Bryan
• Magee
• Iris
• Murdoch
• Philosophy
• Literature
• Plato
• Schopenhauer
• Kant

[RowanFortuneWood]

Thank you for uploading this.

[theinternetscholar]

Great interview, and to me it felt more personal than the other ones

[felooosailing957]

The great thing of this interview when one compares it with others Magee has made is that one can feell at he end of the conversation how the interlocutors disagree on the account of the ignorance of the other´s perception and still and perhaps because of that they show an enormous amount of interest and fascination with the other´s opinions of literature

[monikagwerder]

Iris Murdoch: "Shakespeare can see an enormous amount.I think there's a kind of breadth of tolerance which comes out of Shakespeare because he can see so much. He can see how awfully different people are and what makes them different. And how many different ways there are of thinking about the world. And this, I think, this is a ind of virtue, and I think it is the virtue of tolerance which a lot of dictatorial art, as it were, is excluding." She is wonderful, so sincerely engaging in dialogue.

[traccan]

She never says it directly, but one is led to infer that she totally disagrees with Magee on the 'conservative' idea: if literature at its best is, as she says, concerned with variety, rather than philsophy which is concerned with unity, with the one true answer, and if literature at its best is also concerned with respect and tolerance for the Other, then it is liberal at its heart, not conservative.

[HolyFerdinand]

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES-TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!!!!!!!!

[BRussellspouts]

Awkward moment, near silhouette - what on earth are you talking about MrTStoddart?

Riveting discussion. Thanks you so much for uploading this flame0430. Thumbs up indeed!

[holdmyhamster]

I wish they'd show this sort of thing on ITV on Saturday nights

[MrTStoddart]

The host is classic.

Almost any deep voice could have come out of her, and I would have bought it as authentic. She just has that look. :) Brilliant stuff. Thank you very much for posting.

I love the awkward moment at the end of this show when the host and guest just stare at each other in near-silhouette. :)

[djda99]

thanks for uploading

[grai]

Fascinating

I can see why her books have an other-worldy feel to the atmosphere

She was obviously a very highly evolved human being