Why always I pretend to be brave?
Dear Murtaza,
Upon experiencing the terror of the first Alzheimer’s Disease symptoms, Iris Murdoch writes “Find difficulty in thinking and writing … Be Brave” (1963, qtd in Conradi; IMAL) You see, the thing with bravery is that it often becomes a non-negotiable necessity. There is an aphorism in Murdoch’s “Henry and Cato”: “One should go easy on smashing other people’s lies. Better to concentrate on one’s own” (138). Having already smashed one of your biggest personal lies and the false pretense of it, perhaps you are truly brave without even knowing –
All the best – (Athanasios Dimakis)
Athanasios Dimakis
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Murdoch’s philosophy could be neatly summarised as secular demythologized morality. It proposes a visualist laden conception of ethics that is not solely present in her philosophical works as it also infiltrates her fiction. The philosophical message of her novels concerns everyday moral reality. In other words, reading Murdoch's philosophy (& novels) is often akin to reading morals. Her philosophy offered an unorthodox/alternative place for secular theophanies & moral reflection.
