Mary Midgley on What Matters

Mary Midgley (1919–2018) stands as one of the most influential and wide-ranging moral philosophers of the twentieth century.

For more than four decades, she championed the relevance of philosophy to everyday life, while making profound contributions to debates on human nature, ethics, animals and the environment, science, religion, and other pressing real-world issues. Her extraordinary career produced over 250 works - books, articles, pamphlets, and more - culminating in What Is Philosophy For?, published at the age of 99, just one month before her death. This final work completed a remarkable late-career series that secured her reputation as a distinctive voice and a powerful example of women’s enduring presence in philosophy.

Mary Midgley on What Matters offers an intimate glimpse into this vibrant period of Midgley’s life. Drawing on a series of visits and conversations between Gregory McElwain and Midgley at her Newcastle home from 2011 to 2018, the book presents her reflections, anecdotes, and concerns on the themes for which she is best known - with particular attention to her influential views on animals and the environment. Framed and curated by McElwain, these dialogues capture Midgley’s wit, warmth, and intellectual vitality, giving readers the rare experience of engaging with one of the most spirited philosophers of recent memory.