William Frankena 1908 – 1994
William Klaas Frankena was an American moral philosopher and one of the most respected ethicists of the mid-twentieth century. Trained at Calvin College, the University of Michigan, and Harvard, he spent his entire teaching career at Michigan, where he chaired the philosophy department for many years. His short textbook Ethics, published in 1963, became the standard introduction to moral philosophy for a generation of American students, while his essays on the naturalistic fallacy, on the morality of principles and the morality of virtue, and on philosophy of education shaped the development of analytic ethics.
Key facts
- Nationality
- American
- Era
- Contemporary
- Movements
- Analytic
Selected quotes
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Attributed to William Frankena:
“Morality is at the service of human well-being and the relief of suffering.”
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Attributed to William Frankena:
“We must not isolate moral judgment from the wider moral life.”
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Attributed to William Frankena:
“Principles and virtues complement each other in the moral life.”
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Attributed to William Frankena:
“The moral point of view is impartial concern for everyone affected.”
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Attributed to William Frankena:
“Ethics begins where the human capacity for self-correction begins.”