What did Elizabeth Anscombe believe?

What did Elizabeth Anscombe believe?

Sexual Ethics. Anscombe was a devout Catholic. She opposed abortion, contraception, gay sex, and gay marriage. Her view of abortion was not that it was murder but that it was either murder or something very nearly as bad as murder.

What is the theory of virtue ethics?

Virtue ethics is a philosophy developed by Aristotle and other ancient Greeks. This character-based approach to morality assumes that we acquire virtue through practice. By practicing being honest, brave, just, generous, and so on, a person develops an honorable and moral character.

What are the main ideas of Aristotle’s virtue theory?

Aristotle defines moral virtue as a disposition to behave in the right manner and as a mean between extremes of deficiency and excess, which are vices. We learn moral virtue primarily through habit and practice rather than through reasoning and instruction.

What are the main ideas of Plato’s virtue theory?

Like most other ancient philosophers, Plato maintains a virtue-based eudaemonistic conception of ethics. That is to say, happiness or well-being (eudaimonia) is the highest aim of moral thought and conduct, and the virtues (aretê: ‘excellence’) are the requisite skills and dispositions needed to attain it.

What did Elizabeth Anscombe do?

M. Anscombe or Elizabeth Anscombe, was a British analytic philosopher. She wrote on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of action, philosophical logic, philosophy of language, and ethics.

What theory does Anscombe describe as a shallow philosophy?

A bit of trivia: the term “consequentialism”, which is described derisively as a shallow philosophy (shallowness is a necessary feature, Anscombe adds!), is introduced in this article.

What are the virtues in virtue ethics?

Virtue Ethics

• Virtue ethics takes its philosophical root in the work of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.
• Character traits commonly regarded as virtues include courage, temperance, justice, wisdom, generosity, and good temper (as well as many others).

What is virtue ethics example?

“Virtues” are attitudes, dispositions, or character traits that enable us to be and to act in ways that develop this potential. They enable us to pursue the ideals we have adopted. Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, fidelity, integrity, fairness, self-control, and prudence are all examples of virtues.

What is Aristotle’s ethical theory?

Aristotle’s ethics, or study of character, is built around the premise that people should achieve an excellent character (a virtuous character, “ethikē aretē” in Greek) as a pre-condition for attaining happiness or well-being (eudaimonia).

How do you use Aristotle’s virtue ethics?

Aristotle’s criteria for the virtuous person is as follows: You must have knowledge, consciously choose the acts and choose them for their own sake, and the choice must come from a firm character, in accordance to who you are. You must consistently choose to do good acts deliberately for the right reasons.

What is the main point of Plato’s ethics?

For Plato, ethics comes down to two basic things: eudaimonia and arete. Eudaimonia, or “well being,” is the virtue that Plato teaches we must all aim toward. The ideal person is the person who possesses eudaimonia, and the field of ethics is mostly just a description of what such an ideal person would truly be like.

What is virtues according to Plato?

In early Plato, Socrates advances two theses regarding virtue. He suggests that virtue is a kind of knowledge, similar to the expertise involved in a craft; and he suggests that the five virtues (wisdom, temperance, courage, justice and piety) form a unity.

What did Elisabeth Anscombe say about ethics?

In 1958 Elisabeth Anscombe published a paper titled “Modern Moral Philosophy” that changed the way we think about normative theories. She criticized modern moral philosophy’s pre-occupation with a law conception of ethics. A law conception of ethics deals exclusively with obligation and duty.

Why is Gertrude Anscombe important to philosophy?

Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe was one of the most gifted philosophers of the twentieth century. Her work continues to strongly influence philosophers working in action theory and moral philosophy. Like the work of her friend Ludwig Wittgenstein, Anscombe’s work is marked by a keen analytic sensibility.

What is Anscombe’s intention?

Action Theory Anscombe’s Intention (1957) is one of the classics of 20 th century philosophy. Indeed, it continues to be a standard point of reference for those working in action theory and philosophical psychology. Like Wittgenstein, Anscombe presented her ideas in succinct points and numbered sections.

What is a virtue ethicist and how do you become one?

Virtue ethics is a broad term for theories that emphasize the role of character and virtue in moral philosophy rather than either doing one’s duty or acting in order to bring about good consequences. A virtue ethicist is likely to give you this kind of moral advice: “Act as a virtuous person would act in your situation.”