Mary Midgley

Mary Midgley was a thinker.

She lived in England and studied at a place called Oxford. She wrote many books about big ideas. She thought humans are a kind of animal.

She also wrote about the Earth. She believed we should care for our world. This helps us show wonder and thanks. Her work helps us see how we fit into nature.

Mary Midgley was a famous British philosopher.

A philosopher is someone who thinks about big questions. She studied at Somerville College in Oxford.

Midgley wrote over 15 books. She wrote about science and how we treat animals. She believed that humans are first and foremost a kind of animal. She also wrote about the Gaia hypothesis. This is the idea that the Earth is a living system.

Midgley thought this idea was very important. She believed it helps us see our duty to nature.

She also thought about ideas of good and evil. She did not think evil comes from a god. Instead, she said evil comes from human nature. She said evil is what happens when people lack good traits like kindness. To Midgley, being good means having courage and being generous. She also thought philosophy is like plumbing. People might not notice it until something goes wrong. Then, we must look closely at our ideas to fix them. She lived to be 99 years old.

Mary Midgley was a famous British philosopher who lived a very long life.

She was born in London on September 13, 1919. She spent much of her life thinking about big ideas. These ideas included science, ethics, and how we treat animals. Midgley believed that humans are, first and foremost, a kind of animal. She wanted people to see the deep links between humans and nature. She lived until she was 99 years old in 2018.

Midgley had a very interesting way of looking at her work. She once said that philosophy is like plumbing. Most people do not notice plumbing when it works well. However, they notice it immediately when something goes wrong. She thought philosophers are the people who look at our ideas when they fail. When our thinking starts to smell bad, we must fix it. This means looking closely at the concepts we use every day.

Philosophy is an activity that all humans do.

Her journey into big ideas began during her time at university. She studied at Somerville College in Oxford starting in 1938. During the Second World War, many male students left to fight. This meant women made up the majority of the students. Midgley noted that this helped many women become famous philosophers. She studied both Classics and Greats to prepare for her career. After the war, she worked in the civil service. Later, she became a well-loved teacher at Newcastle University.

Midgley wrote many important books during her long career. Her first book was called Beast and Man, published in 1978. She wrote over 15 more books after that. Some of her other titles include Animals and Why They Matter and Wickedness. She even won an award for her fight against stupidity in 2011. Her work often looked at the ideas of other scientists. She also supported the Gaia hypothesis. This is the idea that the Earth is a living system.

Many of her ideas connect to how we see the world today. She believed we should feel wonder and gratitude for life. She felt that the Gaia idea helps us act better toward nature. Midgley also had unique thoughts on good and evil. She did not believe evil comes from an outside force. Instead, she thought evil is the absence of good traits. To her, being good means having courage and kindness.

She wanted us to value the natural world and our social lives together.

Mary Beatrice Midgley was a prominent British philosopher.

She was born on September 13, 1919, in London. Her work focused on complex topics like science, ethics, and animal rights. Midgley was a senior lecturer at Newcastle University for many years. She spent much of her life exploring how humans relate to the natural world. She believed that humans must be understood as animals first and foremost. Her ideas challenged how many people viewed the relationship between science and the humanities.

Midgley used a unique metaphor to describe the purpose of philosophy. She compared philosophy to plumbing. She noted that people rarely notice plumbing when it functions correctly. However, people notice it immediately when something goes wrong. She suggested that when our ideas produce "bad smells," we must investigate our concepts. This process involves examining the underlying structures of our thinking. For Midgley, philosophy was not just for academics. She argued it was a fundamental activity for all humans.

Her academic journey began at Somerville College, Oxford, in 1938.

She studied both "Mods" and "Greats," which included Classics and Philosophy. During the Second World War, many male undergraduates left to fight. This created a unique environment where women became the majority of the student body. Midgley believed this period helped many women make their names in philosophy. She studied alongside other famous thinkers like Iris Murdoch. These early connections with scientists helped shape her later interdisciplinary approach.

Midgley's career saw many different stages and roles. After leaving Oxford in 1942, she worked in the civil service due to the war. She later returned to Oxford in 1947 to pursue graduate research. She studied the views of Plotinus regarding the soul. Although she did not finish her thesis, she later argued that doctoral training can sometimes miss the "big questions." In 1950, she married fellow philosopher Geoffrey Midgley. They eventually moved to Newcastle, where she taught from 1962 to 1980. She did not publish her first book, "Beast and Man," until 1978.

Midgley was a prolific writer with over 15 books to her name. Her publications included "Animals and Why They Matter" (1983) and "Wickedness" (1984). She also wrote "The Ethical Primate" (1994) and "Evolution as a Religion" (1985). Her autobiography, "The Owl of Minerva," was released in 2005. In 2011, she received the "Philosophy Now Award for Contributions in the Fight Against Stupidity." These works demonstrate her lifelong commitment to challenging scientific pretension and reductionism.

One major part of her thought involved the concept of evil. In her book "Wickedness," she addressed the problem of evil without relying on external forces. Midgley argued that evil is not a separate power. Instead, she viewed evil as the absence of good. She defined good through positive virtues like courage, kindness, and generosity. Therefore, evil manifests as selfishness or cowardice. She criticized thinkers who demonized people as "wicked" without acknowledging their capacity for virtue.

Midgley also held a deep interest in the Gaia hypothesis. This theory suggests the Earth functions as a living system.

She supported James Lovelock's ideas and saw Gaia as a scientific and moral breakthrough. She argued that Gaia provides a moral imperative to protect our living system. In 2001, she helped found the Gaia Network. She believed this concept could help bridge the gap between science and religion. For Midgley, Gaia encouraged a sense of wonder, awe, and gratitude toward the world.

Her philosophical views connected many different fields of study. She opposed reductionism, which is the attempt to explain complex things by only looking at their simplest parts. She also argued against scientism, the belief that science is the only way to find truth. Midgley believed that science should not substitute for the humanities. Instead, she sought a holistic view of the world. She wanted society to value the natural world alongside economic and social structures. She lived until October 10, 2018, reaching the age of 99.