Elizabeth Anscombe: "Intention is the key to moral action."

The statement "Intention is the key to moral action" is closely associated with the British philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe, who was born in 1919 and passed away in 2001. Anscombe made significant contributions to various fields within philosophy, including ethics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of action. She is perhaps most famous for her work in normative ethics, particularly in reviving interest in virtue ethics. One of her most influential essays is "Intention," published in 1957, which laid the groundwork for much contemporary philosophy of action.

 

In Anscombe's view, understanding intention is crucial for making sense of moral actions. An action's moral quality isn't determined solely by its outcome or by the general rule it might exemplify; rather, what matters crucially is the agent's intention in performing that action. This focus on intention represents a shift away from consequentialist and deontological ethical frameworks, which emphasize the results of an action or adherence to moral rules, respectively.

 

According to Anscombe, intentions provide the framework within which actions acquire their moral character. An intention involves both a desire for a particular outcome and a belief that the action undertaken will lead to that outcome. For Anscombe, this makes intention a complex mental state that shapes and is shaped by the moral quality of an action. To judge an action as morally good or bad, one must consider not just what was done, but why it was done—the underlying intentions that motivated it.

 

For example, telling the truth in order to deceive someone might involve the same external actions as telling the truth to inform someone. However, the intentions behind these actions are different and, according to Anscombe, this difference in intention leads to a difference in the moral quality of the actions. Similarly, two actions that lead to the same negative outcome might be morally distinguishable if one was the result of malevolent intent while the other was an accident.

 

This focus on intention has significant implications for ethical theory and moral psychology. It suggests that to understand and evaluate human actions, one must delve into the complexities of human intentionality. Anscombe's work, therefore, necessitates a nuanced and deep understanding of human psychology, going beyond superficial actions or simplistic rules to explore the complicated mental processes that underlie moral decisions.

 

Anscombe's emphasis on intention also revives an interest in virtue ethics, an ethical approach that focuses on the character of the moral agent rather than solely on rules or outcomes. In virtue ethics, understanding an individual's intentions is key to understanding their moral character, thereby reiterating the importance of intention in ethical considerations.

 

In summary, Elizabeth Anscombe's statement that "Intention is the key to moral action" highlights the centrality of mental states, particularly intentions, in determining the moral quality of actions. This idea has far-reaching implications, challenging ethical frameworks that focus solely on outcomes or rules and bringing attention back to the complexities of human decision-making and moral psychology. By placing intention at the heart of moral action, Anscombe offers a rich and nuanced framework that has been influential in shaping contemporary ethical theory, particularly in the realm of virtue ethics.