Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life

Metaphysical Animals is a book that explores the lives and ideas of four remarkable women: Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley, and Iris Murdoch, who were undergraduates at Oxford during the Second World War. The book showcases their intellectual achievements, their personal struggles, and their enduring friendship.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 02 February 2023
Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Winner of the HWA Non-Fiction Crown, an Irish Times Book of the Year, a New York Times Book Review Notable Book, and a Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Elizabeth Anscombe: fiercely brilliant, chain-smoking, trouser-wearing Catholic and (eventual) mother of seven. Philippa Foot: pathologically 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 endeavors 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

Weight: 334g
Dimension: 197 x 129 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529112184