Skip to content
Two female philosophers honoured with plaques
Two influential female philosophers have been honoured with plaques under a commemoration scheme running in the county.
The Oxfordshire Blue Plaque society today unveiled commemorative blue plaques at the former homes of two Oxford philosophers: Philippa Foot, the creator of the famous ‘trolley problem’ and Iris Murdoch, a Booker-Prize winning novelist for her 1978 book The Sea, The Sea.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescure treating deer hit by car near Abingdon
The pair are the first philosophers to be recognised under the scheme in Oxfordshire. They formed one half of a famed ‘quartet’ of revolutionary moral philosophers with strong connections to the university and city.
Ms Murdoch studied classics as a student at then women-only Somerville College in 1938.
Following postgraduate studies at Newnham College, she returned to Oxford in 1948 where she would remain for the rest of her life.
She was a Fellow of St Anne’s College from 1948-1963, before resigning teaching duties to concentrate on writing and research.
She occupied the house at 30 Charlbury Road for the final decade of her life before her death in 1999 from Alzheimer’s disease.
It was there that she completed her final novels, The Green Knight and Jackson’s Dilemma.
Murdoch’s biographer Peter Conradi and family friend and current resident of the house Audi Villiers Bayley (who became Ms Murdoch’s husband, John Bayley’s second wife) led tributes before the unveiling.
“I am so glad to see all these people here and that people are still reading her,” said Mrs Bayley.
“She was a remarkable woman.”
Philippa Foot’s former home at 15 Walton Street also received a placque.
Ms Foot, one of the founders of contemporary virtue ethics and the granddaughter of US President Grover Cleveland, studied philosophy, politics and economics at Somerville College from 1939-42, and then taught at the college until 1969.
She lived in the Jericho property from 1972 while dividing her time between the UK and USA, and died there in 2010.
The board of the Oxfordshire Blue Plaque society survives with donations from the public, but decisions on the suitability for a plaque do not depend on the availability of funding.
If the board approve a proposal, the secretary will discuss potential sources of funding with supporters of the scheme and the specific subject, including the proposers.
The expenses to be covered typically include the manufacture of the blue plaque and necessary work for its fixing – which together amounts to around £500.
Do you think a famous Oxfordshire resident should be remembered with a blue plaque? Visit for more information on how to make a proposal and to see previous plaques.
This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.
Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.
Get in touch with him by emailing: [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1
