An Introduction to Elizabeth Anscombes Modern Moral Philosophy - A Macat Philosophy Analysis

Welcome to the Macat Multimedia Series. A
Macat Analysis of Elizabeth Anscombes Modern Moral Philosophy. Where do societys moral obligations come
from? The philosopher, Elizabeth Anscombe claimed
that all modern, British moral philosophers shared the same approach to morality. She
called this morality consequentialism.

The two main strands of this morality being
Utilitarianism - we morally ought to do whatever brings greatest happiness to greatest number
of people  and Deontology  the Kantian view that we morally ought to do whatever
we could simultaneously will to be a universal law. In her 1958 paper, Modern Moral Philosophy,
Anscombe argued that moral obligation only made sense in the context of divine authority
an authority that had been lost during the church reformation. This, if you like traditional, moral
obligation of what we ought to do  was an obligation to God, and in her view, was
out-dated in the modern world. Anscombe believed that the concept should
be dropped and replaced with ethics that concentrate on virtues and the philosophy of psychology.

So, what about some food for thought? An example
of Anscombes viewpoint in action The chefs at an Italian restaurant follow
an age-old recipe for Bolognese sauce  written by the very chef who invented it. But the recipe is lost  the chefs must
come up with a new one. So, how do they decide? What are they morally
obliged to do? Are they even obliged to do anything? The first chef is a utilitarian  and thinks
they ought to make the sauce according to the recipe that would please most people. The second  a deontologist  thinks that
they ought to make the sauce according to a recipe that includes minced beef and tomatoes
as this is the correct way to make a signature Bolognese sauce  the ingredients should
not be changed.

But a third chef disagrees with both of these
suggestions and thinks it presents an excellent opportunity to start afresh. The original
recipe was lost, so the first two chefs should not feel obligated to any recipe or authority
when deciding on a new sauce. She suggests they look to culinary and dietary
science  and carry out research into satisfaction and taste  to understand human nature and
find out what kind of food is conducive to health and happiness. Then, they will make
a really good Bolognese sauce, according to what they have learned.

The third chef represents Anscombe, who believed
that the best way is to use our understanding of what makes people healthy and happy  and
to follow that instead. Anscombes philosophical ideas had a lasting
effect on contemporary virtue ethics. A more detailed examination of her ideas can
be found in the Macat Analysis..