Seeing Reality in Light of Love: an Analysis of Murdochian Love
Title
Seeing Reality in Light of Love: an Analysis of Murdochian Love
Subject
Seeing Reality in Light of Love: an Analysis of Murdochian Love
Date
December 5th, 2024
Contributor
David Bather Woods
Abstract
Murdoch’s The Sovereignty of Good is often interpreted as suggesting that love requires recognizing the individual reality of one’s beloved. However, through a closer reading, I argue that Murdoch’s characterization of love is more nuanced. Specifically, I show that, due to ambiguity in her writing, Murdoch leaves the exact relationship between love and the perception of reality unclear. In this paper, I begin by unpacking this ambiguity. Then, I propose that this ambiguity allows for two possible kinds of interpretations of her view on love: the objective view, and the positive light view. Finally, I argue that the positive light view offers a better interpretation of Murdoch’s position, concluding that love, while rooted in reality, also exceeds it and transcends it.
Files
Collection
Citation
Hazel Zhao, “Seeing Reality in Light of Love: an Analysis of Murdochian Love,” URSS SHOWCASE, accessed September 9, 2025, https://urss.warwick.ac.uk/items/show/757.