née Philippa Ruth Bosanquet, in Durhamshire, England, 1920. † 2010.
Refs:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/05/philippa-foot-obituary
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8044589/Professor-Philippa-Foot.h
Grice -- Conception of Value -- discussion of her views in ethics.
From amazon:
Natural Goodness by Philippa Foot (Paperback - Dec 4, 2003)
Virtues and Vices: And Other Essays in Moral Philosophy by Philippa Foot (Paperback - Feb 6, 2003)
Theories of Ethics (Oxford Readings in Philosophy) by Philippa Foot (Paperback - Nov 4, 1976)
Moral Dilemmas: and other topics in moral philosophy by Philippa Foot (Paperback - Mar 27, 2003)
Moral relativism (Lindley lecture, University of Kansas) by Philippa Foot (Unknown Binding - 1979)
Worth discussing.
R. I. P.
Speranza
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Example to discuss from her obituaries:
i. That tree has good roots.
ii. That tree has bad roots.
iii. That person, a good person, performs good deeds.
etc.
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Grice discusses Foot at large in his "Conception of Value" -- the 'moral army': an army of volunteers or draftees? Grice was especially interested in Foot's idea of morality as a 'system of hypothetical imperatives'. Grice sided more with Hare, and G. J. Warnock, than with Foot's colleague Mary Warnock and others, but it's all worth discussing.
Grice would know of Foot from her long days at Somerville. She would also visit UC/Berkeley -- so more occasion for chit chat.
Admirable lady.
R. I. P.
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Grice enjoyed walking?
ReplyDeleteSerio, Ms Foot had an interesting view of ethics. At first I considered it utilitarianism of a type (as her famed Trolley Car example suggests--though I don't think it's the greatest analogy), but Im not sure. More like...moral intuitionism of a sort. She didn't care for the Nietzschean frat-boy nihilist school, however--which is to her credit (especially given the enduring nature of the NFBN school).
About every yokel considers himself an expert in ethics until they try to write about it--and then assuming he's capable of reason at all...after a few paragraphs he finds himself playing chess with Plato.
Yes. Matter of fact, Grice owned a Wolkswagen -- cream colour. This is German. It means "folkswain". Foot was brilliant. One should consider her various views. Somerville is an all-female college, in Oxford. The Only One. Equivalent to Girton, in Cambridge. Or Radcliffe in Harvard. When I was in Harvard (visiting) I was amused to read "The Harvard Book". It includes a letter by a female, when Harvard was male-only, addressed to the president of Harvard College. The president wrote back saying that the idea of a female student at Harvard would be 'disturbing' (to the male students). Eventually, Radcliffe College, off Harvard Yard, was founded. Somerville produced a few good Oxonian philosopheresses, of Gricean sympathy. Foot one of them. Grice also enjoyed corresponding with one Mrs. Julie M. Jack, author of "The rights and wrongs of Grice". Anita Avramides, who wrote stuff on Grice, is also connected with Somerville. I like the garden at Somerville. They keep it so nice, and it summer, it all looks like a "summer villa".
ReplyDeleteFoot was ne Bosanquet, and she married Murdoch's boyfriend: Foot.
Foot was also friends with Anscombe. And Mary Warnock.
People say that philosophy is sexist. I have a friend who says that females are not necessarily tied to the 'law of contradiction'. This is SO silly, but there are some studies on the history of logic from a 'feminist viewpoint'. It may do to consider a possible 'feminist' approach to ethics, but I'm sure Foot did not set _her_ foot on that. Etc.
Her obsession was, apparently, with 'good' (and 'virtue' ethics). Her earlier essays were more on 'dentological ethics'. There was a recent discussion about the trolley case. Judith Jarvis (American), who married J. F. Thomson (a colleague and collaborator with Grice), also expanded on the trolley problem. Perhaps we can wicki it and discuss. I haven't checked what the wiki for Foot says, even. R. Lewis is publishing an obit of the lady in the forthcoming "Philosophy" and I trust new studies of her will come up in due time.
Of course, she possibly would never have considered herself an "analytic philosopher" -- to her credit?