Iris Murdoch on Philosophy and Literature: Section 2

[@ellandelachapelle]

"It means looking at things which one takes for granted and suddenly seeing that they are very very odd indeed." What a remarkable woman! To be able to utter aphorisms effortlessly in a conversation! (I have read this amazing description of philosophy before. And I had imagined it to be the fruit of hours of contemplating about the exact words!) I suppose her pupils didn't want to miss one single lesson!

[@randomdave30]

I have just read her magnum opus, 'The Sea, The Sea' which won the booker prize - richly evocative and emotive.

[@bnlang898]

Fictional Literature is descriptive, as is all art, whether it be a guitar note that sounds a feeling, or a brush stroke that 'describes' a contour of something or other. It is a re-creation, and in that sense, a celebration of experiencing ourselves and the world. Philosophy, on the other end, is an attempt to explain, to make sense of experience. It's an interrogation, an examining. One is description (accurate or inaccurate, it doesn't really matter for artistic purposes), the other is explanation, where accuracy very much does matter.

[@mattwilmshurst8456]

W😊nderful. Thanks for making available

[@phlexiblephilosophy]

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[@ibook4113]

Truth I think (and i think Iris has said this) is about discourse. So theoretically all forms of literature are about truth but at different times there are genres that can drive towards truth. I am not sure Romantic poetry is about truth, it tries to portray a truth, but it is personal and (very) mystified: it is controlled, moulded, crafted to say what the author wants. I would probably argue that the portrayal of society in a realist novel would produce more truth than in Romantic Poetry.

[@iLuvAkeys4ever]

People write about life because there is nothing else to write about - virginia woolfe. Thanks for sharing Gtcha

[@indiebandit1]

@ibook4113 hmm, I would also agree with your sentiment on the nature of Romantic poetry as a personal, and mystifying form of literature. However, I would content that such poetry is too, a method and portrayal of truth. The intrinsic difference between the realist novel, and romantic poem, is not the varying levels of truth, but rather the manner and form of truth.

[@safol123]

🥰

[@Allen1029]

year?

[@RomanFieldway]

They not distinguish poetry from the "multivarious" body of literature. I think poetry is another kind of game, indeed closer to philosophy than they think.

[@kyoung21b2000]

I'm a huge fan of Magee and this series of interviews. But given the differences between now and when the interview was conducted (and I think this is a good thing), I found it a little jarring that his every reference to generic philosophers and writers used the pronoun he, given that he was interviewing an eminent philosopher and writer for whom that pronoun didn't seem quite appropriate. Murdoch on the other hand seemed to take this in stride, though also seemed to have no problem making generic references that avoided gendered pronouns (and without calling any attention to that).

[@kyoung21b2000]

Oops - just watched the last part of the interview and I stand corrected re. Murdoch's comments; she also falls into the pattern of the times re. referring to the generic writer and philosopher as he...

[@sjohnson1216]

@@kyoung21b2000 So sick of all that stuff, and I'm a female. Just say what you want. Jesus.

[@edwardhall7351]

When was this interview? Do you know what year?

[@kyoung21b]

@@sjohnson1216 - but maybe not a female academic - I’m sick of this stuff too and, yes, it often goes way too far, but ask a female philosopher about assumptions made in academia (and some will be like you, i.e. get over it, but in my experience plenty won’t)

[@thedjudjubeast]

literatature? 2:41

[@Hozms]

@Q2W3e4r5tss I agree

[@mananacl]

For something to be fictitious, it needs to be invented or dramatized. At least parts of it are made up. Poetry is not. Some poetry is obviously fiction (narrative), but lyrical poetry is something completely removed from fiction. It's certainly not just for entertainment, like Murdoch seems to think. RomanFieldway is right, poetry is pretty close to philosophy. But still, poetry mystifies (makes mystical and mysterious), while pure philosophical writing attempts to clarify. Both pursue truth.

[@RomanFieldway]

To start with, poetry is not fiction.

[@jamespiper1710]

..or she.

[@conman2317]

in other words a good writer makes up good shit on a whim?

[@markhuru]

Interesting how the English talk themselves in a circle that comes to no conclusion

[@david-th225]

You need to be more specific as to what "exactly" you saw reaching no conclusion. This video was very clear; summarised, being, philosophy is a conclusion based topic, whereas fiction literature is abstract and subjective. ( Do you really not even understand that?? 🤣🤣)

[@markhuru]

@@david-th225 exactly

[@safol123]

thats why it is the unanswered questions