Platonic themes in Dame Iris Murdoch's novel The Time of the Angels

This study aims to show Irish philosopher Dame Iris Murdoch's moral arguments and Platonic themes in her novel The Times of Angels. Dame Iris Murdoch firmly believes that human nature should be analyzed in human experience in order to learn ethical values, and furthermore demonstrate the good man in the light of Plato's Form of the Good. According to Iris Murdoch, the notion of will and history are not enough to learn true ethical values. Murdoch firmly believes truth should be discovered by doing philosophy, but moral philosophy should centre the idea of love in order to teach ethics. In the Time of Angels, Murdoch wants to prove that human beings can be saved by love, not by Form of the Good, because the latter cannot be defined. Dame Iris Murdoch's aim is to divulge morality in the light of art and Plato's metaphysical arguments, advocating for re-reading Plato in order to devolop one's understanding of art and literature. Art should not be deemed unimportant, on the contrary it yields truth. Iris Murdoch wants to prove that the enemy of the morality is selfishness and fantasy, not godlessness, and furthermore Murdoch wants to prove that Plato's Form of the Good should not be connected with the idea of God. Murdoch firmly belives that Form of the Good should be above everthing. Moreover, Murdoch wants to picture the good man who manages to look at Plato's Form of the Good, without materializing Form of the Good in The Time of Angels, exposing the possibility of goodness in the absence of God.