A popular essay about four friends who came together through their dedication to philosophy at the University of Oxford in the post-war period. The book combines strong storytelling with touches of philosophy, understood through the biography of each of these women: Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley, and Iris Murdoch, all born in 1919, except for Foot, who was born in 1920. It recreates the atmosphere of Oxford in the 1930s and 1940s.

Each of them had very different philosophical perspectives; however, the author seeks to highlight their common ground in the field of ethics, which includes opposing the subjectivism and idealism of moral philosophy—based on logical positivism and Kantian philosophy—and defending its objectivity, since goodness is inherently objective. This is what the subtitle refers to when it speaks of an ethical revolution.

Are there more similarities that justify grouping them as a quartet? Absolutely. Philosophy was their way of life, and they went against the grain, first and foremost as women who were not widely accepted in academia. They shared the same intellectual and cultural context, sought to reconnect philosophy with reality, and insisted that experience should be its starting point. They pursued the truth about human nature, the light of goodness, and centered ethics on virtue, character, and moral excellence. For them, the core of a good life was justice and love.

Their differences, however, are striking. Anscombe stood out for her intellectual brilliance, her conversion to Catholicism and devout practice, and for being a mother of seven children. Philippa Foot, on the other hand, was distinguished by her tireless dedication to thought and her effort to carve out a place for Aristotelian ethics in the contemporary world. Mary Midgley, who outlived them all and provided material for the book’s author, was known for her open-mindedness. Iris Murdoch was primarily a novelist, remarkable for her style, creativity, calm demeanor, disorderly habits, and great extroversion.