G. E. M. Anscombe

G. E. M. Anscombe (1919–2001) was a British philosopher whose work reshaped twentieth-century discussions of intention, action, ethics, and mind.

Intention: A mental state or commitment directed toward an action or outcome. Anscombe’s central work analyzes intention through the actions people perform intentionally.
Intention (book): Anscombe’s 1957 book analyzing intentional action, practical knowledge, and the question “Why?” This is her best-known systematic treatment of the concept that anchors her philosophy.
Ludwig Wittgenstein: An Austrian-British philosopher whose work transformed twentieth-century logic, language, and mind. Anscombe studied with him, translated his work, and became a leading interpreter of his philosophy.
Consequentialism: The family of ethical theories that evaluates actions by the value of their consequences. Anscombe’s 1958 critique helped establish consequentialism as a target of modern moral philosophy.
Practical knowledge: Knowledge that guides action and is not ordinarily gained by observing the action from outside. Anscombe uses it to explain how agents know what they are intentionally doing.
Modern Moral Philosophy: Anscombe’s 1958 essay criticizing modern ethical theories and calling for a renewed study of virtue. It applies her historical and conceptual diagnosis to consequentialism and duty-based ethics.
Philippa Foot: A British moral philosopher associated with the revival of virtue ethics and the doctrine of double effect. Foot was a close philosophical contemporary whose work developed alongside Anscombe’s ethical revival.
Doctrine of double effect: A principle distinguishing intended effects of an action from foreseen but unintended effects. Her analysis of intention influenced later debates over this distinction in moral judgment.
Action theory: The philosophical study of agency, action, intention, and the explanation of conduct. It gathers the problems Anscombe’s account of intentional action addresses.
Virtue ethics: An approach to ethics that centers moral character and virtues rather than rules or outcomes alone. Anscombe’s critique helped revive this approach in twentieth-century moral philosophy.

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