Daniel John Sportiello, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Anscombe's "Modern Moral Philosophy" is rightly famous. In it, she argues for several interrelated theses; of these, perhaps the least famous is her rejection of what she calls "consequentialism." Inspired by her teacher Ludwig Wittgenstein, it seems, Anscombe argues in her Intention that reasons are not causes -- and so intentionality is an irreducible aspect of the human condition. It is this thesis, I’ll argue, that justifies her Doctrine of Double Effect -- and it is this thesis, I'll argue, that justifies her rejection of consequentialism. She explains the abstract implications in "Modern Moral Philosophy," while she explains the concrete implications in "Mr. Truman's Degree"; I'll discuss both in what follows.