Iris Murdoch’s “Attention” and the Care of the Elderly

Abstract

This article argues that in contrast to modern moral philosophy’s focus on will and choice, British philosopher and novelist Iris Murdoch’s moral theory of “attention”, defined as a just and loving gaze, focuses on the quality of consciousness and individual moral growth, which can help to promote individual moral perception in caring for the elderly in an aging society, especially to realize an ethical attention to the older people.