Q0534
“We are most of us inclined to think that a great deal…” — Philippa Foot (The Problem of Abortion and the…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the Double Effect (1967). Theme: morality.
English
We are most of us inclined to think that a great deal of damage, and even lives lost, is better than doing murder.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the Double Effect (1967) and files it under Analytic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Philippa Foot
Philippa Foot (1920–2010) was a leading Oxford moral philosopher who helped restore virtue ethics within analytic philosophy. Across essays collected in Virtues and Vices and the late book Natural Goodness, she linked moral evaluation to the needs and life-form of human beings rather than to free-floating emotivist attitudes.
How to read this passage
Moral philosophy asks whether morality is objective, how reasons bind us, and how character, rules, and consequences relate. Traditions differ on whether duty, virtue, or outcomes come first. This passage enters that discussion through morality.
Concepts in this quote
- Morality
- Morality in philosophy concerns right and wrong, obligation, and the standards by which we judge persons and acts.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Philippa Foot. (n.d.). We are most of us inclined to think that a great deal of damage, and even lives lost, is better than doing murder. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0534
MLA: Philippa Foot. “We are most of us inclined to think….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0534.
Chicago: Philippa Foot. “We are most of us inclined to think….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0534.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “We are most of us inclined to think…”?
The passage is attributed to Philippa Foot, The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the Double Effect (1967). The archive attributes this English wording to The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the Double Effect (1967) and files it under Analytic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Philippa Foot mean by morality?
Moral philosophy asks whether morality is objective, how reasons bind us, and how character, rules, and consequences relate. Traditions differ on whether duty, virtue, or outcomes come first. This passage enters that discussion through morality.