In her mid-century book on ethics, Intention, Elizabeth Anscombe famously takes the middle way between the two standard modern approaches to ethical theory—deontology and utilitarianism—by returning to the medieval tradition of virtue ethics.
In her work on causality, Anscombe similarly opposes the modern dichotomy between causal determinism (Hobbes) and an outright denial of causality (Hume). In doing so, she shows that medieval theories of causality might be better equipped to deal with contemporary issues like quantum mechanics than any modern theory is.
Bryce McDonald
Harvard College ‘22
Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, Bryce is a senior studying Classics and Philosophy at Harvard College. He is a former chairman of the John Adams Society, and president of Harvard Undergraduate Fellowship. His interests include the history of existentialist thought, from Blaise Pascal to David Foster-Wallace.
Thursday, December 16th, 4:00pm
Abigail Adams Institute, 14 Arrow Street Suite G10 Cambridge MA