About

Analytic philosophy is associated with a line of founding fathers, and the schools and movements that grew around them. Most of the questions that preoccupy that strand of philosophy today stem from, or have been shaped by, those schools. But those were not the only voices in the philosophical arena. Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley, and Iris Murdoch became friends as undergraduates at Oxford University during WWII, and remained life-long philosophical companions. During their time at Oxford, they developed a shared philosophical agenda, method, and stance which, as we will explore, may mark them out as a distinct philosophical school. This reading group is part of In Parenthesis, a project aimed to elicit recognition of the body of work of these women and to reclaim their philosophy afresh for today.

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The readings also follow the Royal Institute of Philosophy's Wartime Quartet lecture series, dedicated to the work of these women, as a complementary resource. If you can't attend the lectures, you can watch them in the RIP's YouTube channel.

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The Reading Group is run in London, in Durham, and in Oxford.

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You can create your own group, if you like. If you do, and would like to be listed in our website, drop us a line.

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