Rachael Wiseman - Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Anscombe’s Intention

Edited by Tim Crane and Jonathan Wolff
University of Cambridge and University College London

Plato and the Trial of Socrates Thomas C. Brickhouse and Nicholas D. Smith

Aristotle and the Metaphysics Vasilis Politis

Rousseau and the Social Contract Christopher Bertram

Plato and the Republic, second edition Nickolas Pappas

Husserl and the Cartesian Meditations A.D. Smith

Kierkegaard and Fear and Trembling John Lippitt

Descartes and the Meditations Gary Hatfield

Hegel and the Philosophy of Right Dudley Knowles

Hegel and the Phenomenology of Spirit Robert Stern

Berkeley and the Principles of Human Knowledge Robert Fogelin

Aristotle on Ethics Gerard Hughes

Hume on Religion David OConnor

Leibniz and the Monadology Anthony Savile

The Later Heidegger George Pattison

Hegel on History Joseph McCarney

Hume on Morality James Baillie

Hume on Knowledge Harold Noonan

Kant and the Critique of Pure Reason Sebastian Gardner

Mill on Liberty Jonathan Riley

Mill on Utilitarianism Roger Crisp

Spinoza and the Ethics Genevieve Lloyd

Heidegger on Being and Time, second edition Stephen Mulhall

Locke on Government D.A. Lloyd Thomas

Locke on Human Understanding E.J. Lowe

Derrida on Deconstruction Barry Stocker

Kant on Judgement Robert Wicks

Nietzsche on Art Aaron Ridley

Rorty and the Mirror of Nature James Tartaglia

Hobbes and Leviathan Glen Newey

Wittgenstein and the Tractatus Michael Morris

Aristotle and the Politics Jean Roberts

Merleau-Ponty and Phenomenology of Perception Komarine Romdenh-Romluc

Frege on Sense and Reference Mark Textor

Kripke and Naming and Necessity Harold Noonan

Kant on Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason Lawrence Pasternack

Wittgenstein and On Certainty Andy Hamilton

Aristotle and the Poetics Angela Curran

Spinoza on Politics Daniel Frank and Jason Waller

Anscombes Intention Rachael Wiseman

Thank you to Addison Wheeler, Durham University, and to the Wheeler family, for the extraodinary fellowship that has enabled me to finish this book. Mr Wheeler recognised that researchers at the start of their intellectual life need nothing more than freedom to pursue ideas, and so created a fellowship that requries only that one make efforts for increased knowledge of people and their make-up so as to enable them to make better use of their life here on earth. It is hard to think of a contemporary philosopher whose work better fits that description than Elizabeth Anscombe. Thank you also to Tom Stoneham and the University of York, who allowed me to spend a term at Chicago University during my teaching fellowship, and to the AHRC for funding the postgraduate work with which my interest in Anscombe began. Thanks too to Adam Johnson at Routledge for balancing perfectly patience and pressure. Detailed comments from two reviewers have, I hope, helped me to improve the manuscript in the final stages.

Many conversations have helped me with this book. I have benefited more than I can say from discussions with members of the Praktisches Denken und Gutes Handeln network, chaired by Mattais Haase, Thomas Hoffman and Tim Henning. Most of what is good in contemporary work on Anscombe has come from members of this network. Adrian Haddock, Jen Hornsby, Mattais Haase and David Hunter have been especially generous with their time and patient with my Wittgensteinianism, and have given me leg-ups when I needed them. At Durham, Andy Hamilton has chivvied me along, discussed Wittgenstein with me at length, and reminded me that philosophy is both fun and serious. Clare MacCumhaill and Luna Dolezal have been wonderful interlocutors and good friends. I began this book at York. Bob Clark was a mentor and friend from the start, and helped me to understand Wittgenstein. Amber Carpenter showed me how to reconnect analytic philosophy and real life; without her guidance and friendship I would certainly not have been awarded my current fellowship, and my philosophical horizons would be much restricted. Marie McGinn is the best philosopher I know and has been the greatest influence on my work. This book would have been better if written under her guidance, but without her help and support in the past, it would have been impossible. The good parts are down to her.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Bill and Yvonne who rescued me from a Craigslist catastrophe in Chicago heres the book I told you I was writing! With the Masters at Gateshead Synchronised Swimming Club Caroline, Cait, Debbie, Ilana, Rachel, Sally, and our intrepid coach Wayne I have learnt all about what it is to lack bodily awareness. My family have put up with being snapped at every time they asked how the book was going; thank you and sorry. Charlotte has kept me company in the library and the pub. Ben, Kadie and little Wynn are wonderful people and I am extremely grateful to have them in my life. Most of all, Joseph, who alone knows how hard it was to write this book. Thanks for waiting.

So far we have limited our discussion to the class of descriptions of what a man is doing under which he knows he is doing it. This class also includes answers to the question Why are you X-ing? which are expressions of intention and give ones further intention in acting. We have not said anything much on the topic of expressions of intention for the future Anscombes first head. As was clear from the last chapter, 4349 have the character of a conclusion, an answer to the question with which Intention began. Between 449 we move from illusory simplicity, to chaotic complexity, to clarity, all without saying much about expressions of intention for the future. It is rather strange, then, to find 449 bookended by discussion of these expressions.