Elizabeth Anscombe

In Our Time: Philosophy

BBC

History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 July 2023

⏱️ 55 minutes

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Summary

In 1956 Oxford University awarded an honorary degree to the former US president Harry S. Truman for his role in ending the Second World War. One philosopher, Elizabeth Anscombe (1919 – 2001), objected strongly.

She argued that although dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki may have ended the fighting, it amounted to the murder of tens of thousands of innocent civilians. It was therefore an irredeemably immoral act. And there was something fundamentally wrong with a moral philosophy that didn’t see that.

This was the starting point for a body of work that changed the terms in which philosophers discussed moral and ethical questions in the second half of the twentieth century.

A leading student of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, Anscombe combined his insights with rejuvenated interpretations of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas that made these ancient figures speak to modern issues and concerns. Anscombe was also instrumental in making action, and the question of what it means to intend to do something, a leading area of philosophical work.

With

Rachael Wiseman, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool

Constantine Sandis, Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, and Director of Lex Academic

Roger Teichmann, Lecturer in Philosophy at St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford

Producer: Luke Mulhall

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts.
0:04.7	Thanks for downloading this episode of In Our Time.
0:07.2	There's a reading list to go with it on our website and you can get news about our
0:10.7	programs if you follow us on Twitter at BBC in our time. I hope you enjoyed
0:15.3	the program.
0:16.3	Hello in 1956, Oxford University awarded an honorary degree to the former US President Harry S. Truman for his role in ending the Second
0:25.7	World War. One philosopher Elizabeth Anseum objected strongly. She argued that a load dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
0:35.2	may have ended the fighting, it amounted to the murder of tens of thousands of innocent civilians.
0:41.1	It was therefore an in redeemable immoral act and there was something
0:45.1	fundamentally wrong with a moral philosophy that didn't see that. This was the
0:49.4	starting point from bodywork that changed the terms in which philosophers discuss moral and ethical questions
0:54.7	in the second half of the 20th century.
0:57.2	Anskam was also instrumental in making action and the question of what it means to intend
1:02.0	to do something, a leading area of
1:04.2	philosophical work. With me to discuss a little bathanscom, a Rachel Wiseman, senior
1:08.9	lecturer in philosophy at the University of Liverpool, Constantine Sanders, visiting professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford. Constantine Sandys, visiting professor of philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire,
1:16.0	and director of Lex Academic, and Roger Teichmann, lecture in philosophy at St Hilders College University of Oxford.
1:22.0	Roger, can you tell us about Ansekim's early life, family
1:26.2	background in education?
1:27.2	Yes, sure.
1:28.2	So Ansekim was Elizabeth Ansekim or Gertrude, Elizabeth Margaret Margaret Anseum in full. Her father was Alan Wells,
1:35.6	Ansekam, he was a soldier, her mother, Gertrude Elizabeth, Nay Thomas, was a teacher.
	...

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