Consequentialist ethics, exemplified by utilitarianism, focuses on the consequences of actions as the primary determinant of their moral value. It suggests that actions are morally right if they produce the greatest overall happiness or utility.
Philippa Foot was a leading twentieth-century philosopher who revived virtue ethics and challenged prevailing views about moral judgement. Best known for the trolley problem and her theory of “natural goodness,” she argued that virtues are grounded in human nature and essential to human flourishing. Her work continues to shape contemporary debates in ethics, character, and moral psychology.
Elizabeth Anscombe, one of the most influential analytic philosophers of the twentieth century, transformed modern ethics and action theory through her work on intention, virtue, and moral reasoning. Drawing on Aristotle and Aquinas while engaging the legacy of Wittgenstein, she challenged the foundations of modern moral philosophy and helped revive virtue ethics as a central philosophical approach.
Discover consequentialism, assessing actions by outcomes. Provides clarity in moral decisions, yet prompts questions on good and individual rights.