G.E.M. Anscombe
contemporaryAnalytic Philosophy, Thomism1919 – 2001
G.E.M. Anscombe (1919–2001) was a British analytic philosopher and one of the most significant moral philosophers of the twentieth century. A devoted student and literary executor of Ludwig Wittgenstein, she made foundational contributions to philosophy of action, ethics, and metaphysics. Her 1958 paper 'Modern Moral Philosophy' helped revive virtue ethics and coined the term 'consequentialism,' while her monograph 'Intention' remains a landmark in action theory.
Notable Achievements
1
Authored 'Intention' (1957), the foundational text of contemporary philosophy of action
2
Coined the term 'consequentialism' and catalyzed the revival of virtue ethics in 'Modern Moral Philosophy' (1958)
3
Served as literary executor and primary translator of Ludwig Wittgenstein's posthumous works
4
Argued for the inseparability of metaphysics, agency, and moral philosophy
5
Held the Chair of Philosophy at Cambridge previously occupied by Wittgenstein