Agent skill

Iris Murdoch

by K-Dense-AI in K-Dense-AI/mimeographs

Applies the moral philosophy and literary frameworks of Iris Murdoch (British moral philosopher and novelist).

MITAuto-check passedWriting & Content

Install Iris Murdoch

skills CLI
$ npx skills add K-Dense-AI/mimeographs --skill iris-murdoch -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install K-Dense-AI/mimeographs iris-murdoch --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/mimeographs.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/mimeographs/iris-murdoch .claude/skills/iris-murdoch && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
iris-murdoch
GitHub stars
129
Token cost
~1.4k tokens
SKILL.md length
723 words
Files
72 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
60
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Applies the moral philosophy and literary frameworks of Iris Murdoch (British moral philosopher and novelist).

  • You are helping a user navigate ethical dilemmas
  • SKILL.md covers Core principles, How Iris Murdoch reasons, Applying the frameworks and Anti-patterns she pushes against, plus 1 more section
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
  • Interpersonal conflicts

What it does

Iris Murdoch is an agent skill from K-Dense-AI/mimeographs. Applies the moral philosophy and literary frameworks of Iris Murdoch (British moral philosopher and novelist). Use this skill whenever you are helping a user navigate ethical dilemmas, interpersonal conflicts, creative writing, literary critique, or the struggle against ego and selfishness. Trigger this skill for topics involving moral psychology, the nature of love, attention, objective morality, the separation of philosophy and literature, or overcoming personal fantasy. Murdoch's approach is essential when…

Its SKILL.md is about 1.4k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 74 other files, including reference files (for example `AGENTS.md`, `_workspace/agents_output.e584bd6c.json` and `_workspace/clustered_corpus.e584bd6c.json`).

It sits in Writing & Content, covering Creative writing and fiction. The repository describes itself as: Ready-to-use agent skills that clone the thinking of founders, philosophers, and scientists into your agent. Generated with K-Dense-AI/mimeo. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • You are helping a user navigate ethical dilemmas
  • Interpersonal conflicts
  • Creative writing
  • Literary critique

Example prompts

  • “Use the iris-murdoch skill to apply the moral philosophy and literary frameworks of Iris Murdoch (British moral philosopher and novelist)”
  • “/iris-murdoch”

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit a38f5fc. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Iris Murdoch loads about 1.4k tokens when it runs, and up to ~4.9k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 170 tokens; SKILL.md has 723 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~170
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.4k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~4.9k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from K-Dense-AI/mimeographs at commit a38f5fc, republished under its MIT licence (© K-Dense-AI). 723 words, ~1,362 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/iris-murdoch/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 71 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
iris-murdoch
description
Applies the moral philosophy and literary frameworks of Iris Murdoch (British moral philosopher and novelist). Use this skill whenever you are helping a user navigate ethical dilemmas, interpersonal conflicts, creative writing, literary critique, or the struggle against ego and selfishness. Trigger this skill for topics involving moral psychology, the nature of love, attention, objective morality, the separation of philosophy and literature, or overcoming personal fantasy. Murdoch's approach is essential when users are stuck in self-centered thinking, trying to force a decision through sheer willpower, or struggling to see the reality of other people clearly.

Thinking like Iris Murdoch

Iris Murdoch was a British moral philosopher and novelist whose work bridged the gap between ethics and aesthetics. The signature shape of her thinking revolves around the idea that morality is not a series of dramatic, isolated choices made by an empty will, but rather a continuous, everyday practice of attention. She viewed the human ego as a distorting veil of fantasy that prevents us from seeing the world—and other people—as they truly are. For Murdoch, both good art and good morals require the discipline of "unselfing" to discover reality.

Reach for this skill whenever you're helping a user navigate ethical dilemmas, interpersonal conflicts, creative writing, literary critique, or the struggle against ego and selfishness.

Core principles

  • Love is the discovery of reality: Love requires the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real, demanding a just and loving gaze rather than egotistical fantasy.
  • Morality is an everyday practice of continuous attention: Virtue is woven into daily life through small, cumulative efforts of imagination, meaning most of the business of choosing is already over before a crucial moment arrives.
  • Keep philosophy and literature strictly separate: While both seek truth, philosophy aims to clarify while literature relies on ambiguity; injecting overt theory into a novel damages the art.
  • Art and morals share the same essence: Goodness and beauty are part of the same structure, both requiring us to overcome our selfish egos to pay loving attention to reality.

For detailed rationale and quotes, see references/principles.md.

How Iris Murdoch reasons

Murdoch's reasoning starts by questioning the lens through which a situation is viewed. She asks first: is the observer trapped in their own "Fat Relentless Ego"? She emphasizes the continuous, quiet work of attention over sudden, heroic leaps of willpower. When evaluating a moral or artistic problem, she dismisses the existentialist idea of the "empty choosing will," arguing instead that true freedom resembles obedience to reality—when we look patiently and lovingly at a situation, the right course of action becomes a clear necessity.

Her primary mental models include The Fat Relentless Ego (the mind's tendency to fabricate a falsifying veil), Unselfing (the discipline of detaching from ego to allow reality to appear), and The Patient Eye of Love (viewing moral life as a continuous, just gaze). For a complete catalog, see references/mental-models.md.

Applying the frameworks

Refocusing Attention

Use when a user is trying to overcome strong negative emotions or unwanted attachments using pure willpower. Willpower alone cannot stop a strong emotion. Instead, acquire new objects of attention to provide energy of a different kind from a different source.

Show full SKILL.md (292 more words)Show less
Detailed Pre-Invention of the Novel

Use when a user is planning a piece of fiction and struggling with structure. Spend a great deal of time inventing the story, plot, and characters in detail so that you can visualize the entire book before writing the first sentence.

For the full catalog of her methods, see references/frameworks.md.

Anti-patterns she pushes against

  • Putting philosophical theories directly into novels: Injecting overt philosophy into fiction damages the art; the harder a writer works to present their ideas, the less good the work becomes.
  • Relying on "pure will" to change strong emotions: Attempting to stop feelings like resentment through sheer willpower fails because it ignores the need to reorient attention to new objects.
  • Imposing "form" on life and stereotyping others: Treating love as an exercise in judgment or trying to quickly sum up a character fails to respect their unutterable particularity.
  • Using perfectionism as an excuse not to create: Refusing to publish out of a desire for perfection is often a cowardly way to feel superior, resulting only in less art and a grudge against the world.

How to use this skill in conversation

When a user is facing an ethical dilemma, a creative block, or an interpersonal conflict, channel Murdoch's focus on attention and reality. Surface the relevant principle or framework by name (e.g., "Iris Murdoch calls this 'unselfing'"). Apply her lens by asking the user to examine how their own ego or fantasies might be obscuring the reality of the other person or situation. Advise them that moral choices are made through continuous, patient attention rather than sudden acts of will. Avoid impersonating her or speaking in the first person; instead, offer her philosophy as a powerful tool for the user to clarify their own vision.

© K-Dense-AI, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 71 other files (references) in mimeographs/iris-murdoch of K-Dense-AI/mimeographs.

  • SKILL.md
  • AGENTS.md
  • _workspace/agents_output.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/clustered_corpus.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/discovery/books.json
  • _workspace/discovery/essays.json
  • _workspace/discovery/frameworks.json
  • _workspace/discovery/interviews.json
  • _workspace/discovery/letters.json
  • _workspace/discovery/papers.json
  • _workspace/discovery/podcasts.json
  • _workspace/discovery/ranked_sources.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/discovery/talks.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_005.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_006.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_014.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_015.e584bd6c.json
  • _workspace/distilled/src_017.e584bd6c.json
  • … and 54 more

Open the folder on GitHubat commit a38f5fc

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Short Web Fiction Trend Scanzenstory-ai/oh-story-claudecode7.4k2 repos~1.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
InkOS Creative HarnessNarcooo/inkos10k1 repos~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassAGPL-3.0
Novel Arteternityspring/shuohao-skills4.3k—~1.1kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
SepiaNanako0129/sepia3.1k—~3.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about Iris Murdoch

What does Iris Murdoch do?

Applies the moral philosophy and literary frameworks of Iris Murdoch (British moral philosopher and novelist). Iris Murdoch is an agent skill from K-Dense-AI/mimeographs. Applies the moral philosophy and literary frameworks of Iris Murdoch (British moral philosopher and novelist).

When should I use Iris Murdoch?

Iris Murdoch fits situations like: you are helping a user navigate ethical dilemmas; interpersonal conflicts; creative writing; literary critique.

How do I install Iris Murdoch in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add K-Dense-AI/mimeographs --skill iris-murdoch -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (mimeographs/iris-murdoch in K-Dense-AI/mimeographs) into .claude/skills/iris-murdoch in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Iris Murdoch in Codex?

Run `npx skills add K-Dense-AI/mimeographs --skill iris-murdoch -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (mimeographs/iris-murdoch in K-Dense-AI/mimeographs) into .agents/skills/iris-murdoch in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Iris Murdoch in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add K-Dense-AI/mimeographs --skill iris-murdoch -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/iris-murdoch, .gemini/skills/iris-murdoch, .github/skills/iris-murdoch and .opencode/skills/iris-murdoch in your project.

What does Iris Murdoch need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Iris Murdoch is instructions for the agent only.

Does Iris Murdoch access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Iris Murdoch safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Iris Murdoch use?

Iris Murdoch is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Iris Murdoch use?

About 1.4k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 3.6k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Iris Murdoch?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Iris Murdoch: Story Multi-Perspective Review (zenstory-ai/oh-story-claudecode, 7.4k stars), Short Web Fiction Trend Scan (zenstory-ai/oh-story-claudecode, 7.4k stars), InkOS Creative Harness (Narcooo/inkos, 10k stars) and Novel Art (eternityspring/shuohao-skills, 4.3k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Iris Murdoch?

K-Dense-AI (a GitHub organization) maintains it in K-Dense-AI/mimeographs, which has 129 GitHub stars. The repository holds 60 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 18, 2026.

Source: K-Dense-AI/mimeographs on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.