Analytic & pragmatist · 1873–1958
G. E. Moore
Cambridge defender of common sense against idealism
Goodness is a simple, indefinable property, so defining it as pleasure or any natural property commits the “naturalistic fallacy”; and we know common-sense truths, such as “here is a hand”, better than any philosophical argument against them.
Life and thought
George Edward Moore (1873–1958) went up to Cambridge to study classics, and Russell persuaded him to take up philosophy. He spent nearly his whole career there and edited the journal Mind from 1921 to 1947; through the Apostles society his ethics deeply impressed the Bloomsbury circle, including Keynes. His papers of 1903 broke with British idealism, and with Russell he is counted a founder of analytic philosophy.
In Principia Ethica (1903) Moore argued that “good” names a simple quality that cannot be defined: whatever natural property you identify it with, such as pleasure, it remains an open question whether that property is good. Defining good in natural terms commits the “naturalistic fallacy”. In “Proof of an External World” (1939) he held up his hands and said, in effect: here is one hand, here is another, so external things exist. He was not being naive. His point was that we know such commonplace truths better than we could ever know the premises of a sceptical argument against them.
Works
Shaped
1872–1970Bertrand RussellRussell dated their revolt against Kant and Hegel to late 1898: “Moore led the way, but I followed closely in his footsteps.”1911–1960J. L. AustinOxford philosopher of language who founded speech-act theoryArgued against
1685–1753George BerkeleyMoore’s “The Refutation of Idealism” (1903) targets the principle that to be is to be perceived.1806–1873John Stuart MillPrincipia Ethica charges Mill with the “naturalistic fallacy” of defining good as pleasure.Meanwhile, in other traditions
1863–1902Swami VivekanandaMonk who introduced Vedānta and yoga to the West1869–1948Mohandas K. GandhiLeader of Indian independence and theorist of non-violent resistance1870–1945Nishida KitarōFounder of the Kyoto School1872–1950Sri AurobindoNationalist revolutionary turned philosopher of spiritual evolution1885–1962Tanabe HajimeKyoto School philosopher and Nishida’s critic1885–1968Xiong ShiliFounder of New Confucian metaphysicsOn the record
The note quoted Russell as following Moore’s rebellion against idealism “with a sense of emancipation”.
That wording could not be found in Russell’s writings. His account in My Philosophical Development dates the revolt against Kant and Hegel to late 1898: “Moore led the way, but I followed closely in his footsteps.” The note now quotes this.