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Single Idea 8065

[filed under theme 23. Ethics / D. Deontological Ethics / 1. Deontology ]

Full Idea

The moral sense of 'ought' and of what is right should be jettisoned, if possible, because they are survivals from an earlier conception of ethics, and are only harmful without it.

Gist of Idea

'Ought' and 'right' are survivals from earlier ethics, and should be jettisoned

Source

G.E.M. Anscombe (Modern Moral Philosophy [1958], p.175)

Book Ref

'The Is/Ought Question', ed/tr. Hudson,W.H. [Macmillan 1969], p.175

A Reaction

This is part of a revolutionary proposal to return to virtue theory, and has had a great influence (e.g. on me). Richard Taylor gives a good account of how duty lost its social and religious underpinnings. Our duties now seem to be purely contractual.

The 24 ideas with the same theme [moral theories centring on the idea of duty]:

5252 'Enkrateia' (control) means abiding by one's own calculations [Aristotle]
3549 Ariston says rules are useless for the virtuous and the non-virtuous [Ariston, by Annas]
19407 We want good education and sociability, rather than lots of moral precepts [Leibniz]
6257 You can't form moral rules without an end, which needs feelings and a moral sense [Hutcheson]
4024 Kant follows Rousseau in defining freedom and morality in terms of each other [Taylor,C on Kant]
7105 If 'maxims' are deeper underlying intentions, Kant can be read as a virtue theorist [Kant, by Statman]
7625 We can ask how rational goodness is, but also why is rationality good [Putnam on Kant]
3710 The only purely good thing is a good will [Kant]
3715 Other causes can produce nice results, so morality must consist in the law, found only in rational beings [Kant]
3737 The will is good if its universalised maxim is never in conflict with itself [Kant]
20715 It is basic that moral actions must be done from duty [Kant]
2915 Each person should devise his own virtues and categorical imperative [Nietzsche]
7185 Replace the categorical imperative by the natural imperative [Nietzsche]
8065 'Ought' and 'right' are survivals from earlier ethics, and should be jettisoned [Anscombe]
8069 Between Aristotle and us, a Judaeo-Christian legal conception of ethics was developed [Anscombe]
22391 Saying we 'ought to be moral' makes no sense, unless it relates to some other system [Foot]
5077 The modern idea of obligation seems to have lost the idea of an obligation 'to' something [Taylor,R]
4113 'Deon' in Greek means what one must do; there was no word meaning 'duty' [Williams,B]
3261 Something may be 'rational' either because it is required or because it is acceptable [Nagel]
20276 Conflict of rules might be avoided by greater complexity, or by a hierarchy of rules [Singer]
3784 Duty prohibits some acts, whatever their consequences [Glover]
3550 Principles cover life as a whole, where rules just cover actions [Annas]
4327 Deontologists do consider consequences, because they reveal when a rule might apply [Hursthouse]
4335 'Codifiable' morality give rules for decisions which don't require wisdom [Hursthouse]