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44The Logic of Decision and Action (review)Philosophical Books 10 (1): 24-26. 1969.The bulk of this book is made up of four substantial papers, originally presented at a conference in 1966, followed by comments from fellow-symposiasts. Three of the papers are formal and/or technical; the fourth is an excellent piece of analysis by Donald Davidson followed by illuminating remarks from the late E. J. Lemmon.
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220On Virtue EthicsOxford University Press. 1999.Virtue ethics is perhaps the most important development within late twentieth-century moral philosophy. Rosalind Hursthouse, who has made notable contributions to this development, here presents a full exposition and defense of her neo-Aristotelian version of virtue ethics. She shows how virtue ethics can provide guidance for action, illuminate moral dilemmas, and bring out the moral significance of the emotions
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378Human Nature and Aristotelian Virtue EthicsRoyal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 70 169-188. 2012.Given that it relies on claims about human nature, has Aristotelian virtue ethics been undermined by evolutionary biology? There are at least four objections which are offered in support of the claim that this is so, and I argue that they all fail. The first two maintain that contemporary AVE relies on a concept of human nature which evolutionary biology has undercut and I show this is not so. In Part 2, I try to make it clear that Foot's Aristotelian ethical naturalism, often construed as purpo…Read more
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288Virtue Ethics and the Treatment of AnimalsIn Beauchamp Tom & Frey R. G. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Animal Ethics,, Oxford University Press. 2011.
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13Neo-AristotelianismIn Nigel Warburton (ed.), Philosophy: the basic readings, Routledge. pp. 110-122. 1999.In recent years virtue theory, which is derived from Aristotle’s moral philosophy, has become increasingly popular as an alternative both to deontological theories such as Kant’s and to consequentialism such as Mill’s utilitarianism. Here Rosalind Hursthouse (1943– ) sketches the main features of such virtue theory or neo-Aristotelianism, bringing out its distinctive approach. Neo-Aristotelians are interested not just in particular actions, but in the flourishing of individuals over a lifetime; …Read more
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341Environmental virtue ethicsIn Rebecca L. Walker & Philip J. Ivanhoe (eds.), Working virtue: virtue ethics and contemporary moral problems, Oxford University Press. pp. 155--172. 2007.
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50An Interview with Rosalind Hursthouse: Philosophy in the Open UniversityCogito 12 (1): 5-10. 1998.Rosalind Hursthouse took her undergraduate degree in New Zealand and her B. Phil. and D. Phil. at Oxford. She taught in Oxford for six years before joining the Open University in 1975. As part of her work for the O.U. she has published Beginning Lives (Blackwell, 1987) on the morality of abortion; this generated Virtue theory and abortion, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1991) which has already been reprinted five times. She has published numerous other articles on virtue ethics, the most recent …Read more
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27The Virtuous Agent's Reasons: A Response to WilliamsIn Robert Heinaman (ed.), Aristotle and Moral Realism, Westview Press. 1995.
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417Virtues and Reasons: Philippa Foot and Moral Theory: Essays in Honour of Philippa Foot (edited book)Clarendon Press. 1995.Philippa Foot is one of the most original and widely respected philosophers of our time; her work has exerted a lasting influence on the development of moral philosophy. In tribute to her, twelve leading philosophers from both sides of the Atlantic have contributed essays exploring the various topics in moral philosophy to which she has made a distinctive contribution--virtue ethics, naturalism, non-cognitivism, relativism, categorical requirements, and the role of rationality in morality.
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239Normative Virtue EthicsIn Roger Crisp (ed.), How Should One Live?: Essays on the Virtues, Oxford University Press. pp. 19-33. 1996.
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28Hume on JusticeIn Charles Pigden (ed.), Hume on Is and Ought, Palgrave-macmillan. pp. 264. 2010.What motivates the benevolent or charitable agent is regard for another’s good or well-being, but talk about regard for others’ good or well- being is simply talk about benevolence or charity in different terms. Yet Hume clearly holds that the regard for another’s good is a motive to produce benevolent acts that is distinct from a sense of their benevolence. So what is the difference? ‘Well’, one might say, ‘intuitively, rights are very different from wellbeing.’ Yes indeed. And that, I shall co…Read more
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123Denoting in the principles of mathematicsSynthese 45 (1). 1980.In "the principles of mathematics" russell accepts (a) that word meaning (e.G., That 'fido' means fido) is irrelevant to logic and (b) that such sentences as 'all men are mortal' do not express quantified propositions but are about things (in this case, The class of men). If we note these confusions, And also that (b), Though not (a) has been abandoned by 'on denoting', We see what denoting is and how russell relates to frege on sinn and bedautung
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122Virtue Ethics vs. Rule-Consequentialism: A Reply to Brad Hooker: Rosalind HursthouseUtilitas 14 (1): 41-53. 2002.In On Virtue Ethics I offered a criterion for a character trait's being a virtue according to which a virtuous character trait must conduce to, or at least not be inimical to, four ends, one of which is the continuance of the human species. I argue here that this does not commit me to homosexuality's being a vice, since homosexuality is not a character trait and hence not up for assessment as a virtue or a vice. Vegetarianism is not up for such assessment either, for the same reason, but, as a p…Read more
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96Fallacies and moral dilemmasArgumentation 9 (4): 617-632. 1995.The continuing debate between utilitarians and deontologists often takes the form of disagreement over how particular moral dilemmas are to be resolved, but protagonists on both sides tend to overlook the possibility of resolving a dilemma “with remainder”, such as regret. The importance of “remainder” is also overlooked by critics of some “absolutist” ways of resolving or slipping between the horns of certain moral dilemmas. Moreover, deontologists, if not utilitarians, can be criticised for ov…Read more
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26Applying virtue ethicsIn Rosalind Hursthouse, Gavin Lawrence & Warren Quinn (eds.), Virtues and Reasons: Philippa Foot and Moral Theory: Essays in Honour of Philippa Foot, Clarendon Press. pp. 57--75. 1995.
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24Two Ways of Doing the Right ThingIn Colin Patrick Farrelly & Lawrence Solum (eds.), Virtue jurisprudence, Palgrave-macmillan. 2008.
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37The Uses and Abuses of Argument.Introduction to Philosophy.Key Concepts.Work, Morality and Human NaturePhilosophical Quarterly 31 (123): 184-187. 1981.
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230Intention (review)Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 46 83-. 2000.When I first read Intention as a student it seemed misnamed, since, I thought, it gave an account of intentional action all right, but left me still wondering what an intention was. It was only with years of rereading that I came to see that one beauty of the account was that it eliminated the need to ask.
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57Doctor‐assisted suicide: a commentary on LesserJournal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 16 (2): 335-336. 2010.
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1214Virtue Theory and AbortionPhilosophy and Public Affairs 20 (3): 223-246. 1991.The sort of ethical theory derived from Aristotle, variously described as virtue ethics, virtue-based ethics, or neo-Aristotelianism, is becoming better known, and is now quite widely recognized as at least a possible rival to deontological and utilitarian theories. With recognition has come criticism, of varying quality. In this article I shall discuss nine separate criticisms that I have frequently encountered, most of which seem to me to betray an inadequate grasp either of the structure of v…Read more
Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Action |
Applied Ethics |
Normative Ethics |
Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Action |
Normative Ethics |