To Clear Our Minds of Selfish Care

Abstract

Abstract This chapter describes a philosophical insight about the management of our attention and mental energy—about a kind of practice of attention—from which, it is argued, the anxious sufferer stands to benefit. The insight originates in the work of Irish-born novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch and culminates in a therapeutic conclusion about the peace that can be afforded by directing one’s attention toward a certain kind of good in a certain kind of way. At the heart of Murdoch’s insight is the encouragement to “give attention to nature in order to clear our minds of selfish care.” The chapter tries to make sense of Murdoch’s insight and also to reflect on what it reveals about the formidable therapeutic properties of the natural world, about the peace and inner tranquility that time spent in nature can sometimes provide.