Human Life, Action and Ethics

A much-acclaimed volume of essays (many unpublished) by Elizabeth Anscombe, who was Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge. The book is co-edited by her daughter, who brings her character to life in a highly engaging way. There are three sections of essays: human life, action and practical reason and (much the longest) ethics. The first section discusses issues of perennial relevance to the nature of human life, especially in relation to embryology and foetal development. Then follow some more technical contributions. The third section contains some classic essays, including 'Does Oxford Moral Philosophy Corrupt Youth?, to which Anscombe's answer is an emphatic negative. Her style is concise and lucid, with flashes of wit - readers can never be in any doubt that they are engaging with a brilliant mind that will test the adequacy of their understanding about the issue at hand.