Abstract

Remarkably little has been said concerning the implications of Wittgenstein's later thought for moral philosophy. I will argue here that the recent renaissance of virtue ethics, typified in the work of authors such as Rosalind Hursthouse, finds much of its inspiration in Wittgenstein's later thought. This influence is three-fold: first, in the critical tradition of virtue ethics vis-à-vis traditional theories of ethics; second, in the establishment of its broadly 'anti-theoretical' stance; and last, in the fact that recent critiques of virtue ethics can be parried by reference to Wittgenstein. The conclusion I hope to establish is that virtue ethics, in order to itself flourish as a viable alternative, must take careful account of Wittgenstein's thought and structure itself accordingly.