Date of Award
5-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Philosophy
First Advisor
Donovan Wishon
Second Advisor
Robert English
Third Advisor
Timothy Yenter
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
In this project, I explain the mysticism found in Iris Murdoch’s The Sovereignty of Good, emphasizing what the illustrative thought experiments and metaphors are meant to explain. To do this, I introduce her understanding of G. E Moore’s moral realism and compare this with how Bertrand Russell understands mystical intuition and revelation. Then, to understand how we can still do moral philosophy when morality is fundamentally mystical, I compare Murdoch’s usage of metaphor with that of Victoria Welby, who also takes metaphorical understanding to be crucial to our understanding of the world. Though Welby goes further than Murdoch in saying that there is no literal meaning at all, this is still useful in understanding the explanatory weight Murdoch places on metaphor. Finally, I combine what I take to be the two most important metaphors in the book: The M&D example and The Allegory of the Cave. These two metaphors told in tandem help clarify the moral realism Murdoch refers to as ‘unesoteric mysticism’.
Recommended Citation
Langley, William Jade, "Murdoch's Metaphorical and Mystical Moral Metaphysics" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 8842.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/8842