Thinking as Whole People: Midgley's Conception of the Moral Philosopher

Towards the beginning of her essay ‘Philosophical Plumbing’ (in Utopias, Dolphins and Computers (1996)), Mary Midgley writes that “We think as whole people, not as disembodied minds, not as computers”. In this chapter, my aim is to emphasise the significance of this remark – and the philosophical methodology that comes with it – to Midgley’s conception of philosophical inquiry in general, to her views on how we ought (and ought not) to approach moral philosophy specifically. In doing so, I show the significance of Midgley’s place within the wider context of twentieth century British philosophy and connect her to the work of Susan Stebbing and Dorothy Emmet.