Metaphysical Animals

by Clare Mac Cumhaill & Rachael Wiseman

£10.99

Beliefs; History

Paperback

9781529112184

Published by Vintage Publishing

Published February 2023

Books > Beliefs > Science

How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life

WINNER OF THE HWA NON-FICTION CROWN
AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW NOTABLE BOOK

Elizabeth Anscombe: defiantly brilliant, chain-smoking, trouser-wearing Catholic and (eventual) mother of seven.

Philippa Foot: pathalogically discreet, quietly rebellious granddaughter of a US president.

Mary Midgley: witty scholar and careful observer of humans and animals alike.

Iris Murdoch: aspiring novelist and Francophile with the power to seduce (almost) anyone.

Written with expertise and flair, Metaphysical Animals is a vivid portrait of the endeavours and achievements of these four remarkable women. As undergraduates at Oxford during the Second World War, they shared ideas (as well as shoes, sofas and lovers). From the disorder and despair of war, they went on to breathe new life into philosophy, creating a radically fresh way of thinking about freedom, reality and human goodness that is there for us today.

‘Evocative and sparkling’ New York Times

‘A triumph’ Mail on Sunday

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