4. The Good Life

A description is given of the status of Oxford philosophy in the 1950s and 1960s, its ‘golden age’. The main schools of thought, especially ‘ordinary language’ philosophy, are outlined, together with an account of the academic leaders in the field. The torrid atmosphere of the Senior Common Room of St. Hugh’s College in which she was the first married fellow is discussed. There are highly positive accounts of her supervisions provided to the author by her supervisees. Her professional relationships with colleagues are described, as well as Saturday morning meetings taken by the influential philosopher, J. L. Austin. She participated in BBC Third Programme philosophy debates, enjoying being the ‘only woman’. Over the period 1960-70, she wrote several books, including. Ethics since 1900 (1960) and three books on existentialism. The contents of these books are described as well as their reception by contemporary philosophers. By the mid-1960s, for various reasons, including finding the analytic school of philosophy then predominant at Oxford ‘arid and depressing’, she was looking for an exit.