The Lives of the Philosophers: Elizabeth Anscombe
Summary
David Runciman and Nikhil Krishnan explore the life and philosophy of G.E.M. Anscombe, focusing on her role as Wittgenstein’s literary executor and her Catholic conversion. The episode details her famous 1956 protest against an honorary degree for Harry Truman, which marked her rejection of consequentialism. Anscombe argued that moral philosophy must return to Aristotelian virtue ethics, emphasizing character and human nature over utilitarian calculations. Her work, particularly "Modern Moral Philosophy," critiqued the secular moral landscape for lacking a coherent foundation for objective …
Topics discussed
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Introduction to Elizabeth Anscombe
Challenges for women in Oxford education
Anscombe's intellectual courage and style
Conversion to Catholicism and meeting Wittgenstein
Relationship with Wittgenstein and his legacy
Translating Wittgenstein and philosophical alignment
The Harry Truman honorary degree controversy
Critique of consequentialism and the Truman vote
Corruption of youth and cultural critique
Modern Moral Philosophy and the return to virtue
Virtue ethics, character, and dispositions
Genealogy of moral practices like promising
The meaning of intention and the Truman defense
Intention under a description and ordinary language
Naturalism, human nature, and Aristotelian telos
Philippa Foot and the discovery of human essence
Anscombe's reputation and mainstreaming
Consequentialism, wokeness, and modern absolutes
Virtue signaling and the nature of virtue
Outro and next episode preview
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