Anscombe on the shallowness of consequentialism

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Abstract

This paper is divided into two parts. In the first I outline and defend Elizabeth Anscombe's claim that consequentialism is a shallow philosophy by considering how two contemporary consequentialists reach opposing but equally outlandish moral conclusions on a matter as fundamental as whether it is good or bad that the human race continues. In the second I argue that in order to show what is wrong with the consequentialist arguments presented in part one, we need to deploy a wider range of critical resources than what typically appears in contemporary analytic moral philosophy. One example of a relevant and under-appreciated resource I then consider is satire as a mode of moral thought.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)737-747
Number of pages11
JournalEuropean Journal of Philosophy
Volume33
Issue number2
Early online date26 Jul 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2025

Keywords

  • Philosophy
  • Consequentialism
  • Moral philosophy

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