George Edward Moore was a prominent 20th-century English philosopher, widely regarded as one of the founders of modern analytic philosophy. Born in 1873 and passing away in 1958, Moore made significant contributions across various areas of philosophy, including epistemology, ethics, and metaphysics.
As an epistemologist, Moore is famous for his influential theory of knowledge. He argued against skepticism and defended the existence of external physical objects, asserting that one can know such objects through direct awareness or perception. Moore also opposed the idealist views that dominated philosophical thought during his time.
In ethics, Moore developed a consequentialist theory known as "ideal utilitarianism." According to this theory, the right action is the one that brings about the most overall good. However, unlike classic utilitarianism, Moore emphasized that the intrinsic value of certain states (such as pleasure or knowledge) cannot be reduced to any other value. This view became known as "Moorean intuitionism" and asserted that certain moral truths can be known via direct intuition.
Furthermore, Moore made significant contributions to metaphysics, particularly with his concept of "naturalistic fallacy." This fallacy points out that attempting to define moral concepts by reducing them to natural or descriptive properties is flawed. According to Moore, such attempts commit a logical error, as moral properties are fundamentally distinct from natural properties, and cannot be derived from them.
George Edward Moore's impact on philosophy is profound, as his ideas and arguments continue to shape the contemporary analytic tradition and influence subsequent philosophers.
