The Tension of Conscience: Selfishness, Moral Responsibility, and the Human Conditions in the Novels of Iris Murdoch & John Fowles

Abstract

This paper examines the theme of selfishness in the novels of Iris Murdoch, focusing on her philosophical concept of "unselfing" as an ethical response to egotism. The research analyses two of Murdoch’s notable works, The Sea (1970) and The Flight from the Enchanter (1956), exploring how characters driven by selfishness suffer moral and personal consequences. The study also compares Murdoch’s perspective with that of John Fowles’s The Magus (1965), which treats selfishness in a more existential and ambiguous manner. Drawing from textual evidence and philosophical discourse, the analysis demonstrates that Murdoch advocates for a clear moral progression toward unselfing, while Fowles presents selfishness as a complex, unresolved aspect of the human condition. This paper argues that Murdoch’s philosophical realism provides a structured moral framework, while Fowles challenges the reader to confront the ambiguity of selfishness in modern life.