Morality and Relgion - Irish Murdoch
Iris Murdoch-“Morality and Religion”: Notes pg. 733, para 1: Murdoch’s purpose is to question the relationship of morality to religion, and look at their differences as well as the definition of religion.
-She claims this essay is moral philosophy and feels she must clarify whether her philosophy is religious or not.
-She discusses how some believe religion really must be “breathed in” during childhood (taught to children by their parents); otherwise, adults may feel they are just faking it—but, Murdoch notes, those who are religious when younger will have a hard time giving it up as adults. pg. 733, para 2: Virtue (doing right) is the most obvious connection between morality and religion. -Seeking virtue has lost popularity, and some are suspicious that it’s self-indulgent or priggish.
-Cynics don’t trust virtue and even the religious may see this personal goal to be virtuous as selfish compared to, say, helping others or extending your energy to others rather than yourself. pg. 733, para 3: With religion, a person doesn’t have to analyze/scrutinize/actively think through his/her morality because morality comes with the religious system as pre-established. A person can just accept the morality the religion teaches. pg. 734, para 3 (con’t): Religion’s demand for morality and being good trumps a person’s decision to fulfill a personal/independent call toward duty.
-Murdoch separates “call of duty” from religion’s demand to “be good” and states that a person may take time off from duty, but not from the demand to be good.
-So duty involves free will to choose and doesn’t have to involve religion
-Murdoch clarifies duty as the “rational formation of moral maxims for particular situations,” emphasizing again a personal choice based on reason for how to act.
-Murdoch states that we can sense morality intuitively even without religion. For this intuitive knowledge, she uses the term “noumenal.”
-The German Philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
-She claims this essay is moral philosophy and feels she must clarify whether her philosophy is religious or not.
-She discusses how some believe religion really must be “breathed in” during childhood (taught to children by their parents); otherwise, adults may feel they are just faking it—but, Murdoch notes, those who are religious when younger will have a hard time giving it up as adults. pg. 733, para 2: Virtue (doing right) is the most obvious connection between morality and religion. -Seeking virtue has lost popularity, and some are suspicious that it’s self-indulgent or priggish.
-Cynics don’t trust virtue and even the religious may see this personal goal to be virtuous as selfish compared to, say, helping others or extending your energy to others rather than yourself. pg. 733, para 3: With religion, a person doesn’t have to analyze/scrutinize/actively think through his/her morality because morality comes with the religious system as pre-established. A person can just accept the morality the religion teaches. pg. 734, para 3 (con’t): Religion’s demand for morality and being good trumps a person’s decision to fulfill a personal/independent call toward duty.
-Murdoch separates “call of duty” from religion’s demand to “be good” and states that a person may take time off from duty, but not from the demand to be good.
-So duty involves free will to choose and doesn’t have to involve religion
-Murdoch clarifies duty as the “rational formation of moral maxims for particular situations,” emphasizing again a personal choice based on reason for how to act.
-Murdoch states that we can sense morality intuitively even without religion. For this intuitive knowledge, she uses the term “noumenal.”
-The German Philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)