Iris Murdoch and the Problem of Evil

This chapter explores Murdoch’s engagement with the theological problem of evil. The Time of the Angels, The Nice and the Good and A Fairly Honourable Defeat echo the moral lessons from the Book of Job, where the evils of self-righteousness and hubris can motivate an ignorance of the value of faith and the divine power of God. Murdoch’s interest in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon demonstrates an interest in a more austere response to evil that she would later find in Simone Weil. Murdoch was initially concerned by Weil’s theodicy, but her exploration of the theme of suffering in The Unicorn demonstrates that their responses are close. The theological problem of evil challenges us to acknowledge our limitations and work for positive change, rather than seek easy answers.