Marshall Bierson

Marshall Bierson, assistant professor of philosophy focused on ethics and Thomistic-informed psychological questions. He explores Aristotle’s distinction between work, play, and deeper energetic activities. He highlights why friendship and contemplation uniquely allow us to “rest” in what is truly good. He also shows how Aquinas radicalizes this by making friendship with God central to human fulfillment.

Marshall Bierson, assistant professor of philosophy at the Catholic University of America known for work on Anscombe and Thomistic ethics, explores distinctions between the good and the right. He compares utilitarian, Kantian, and Thomistic values. He discusses pleasure, love, activity versus state-of-affairs, and why modern ethics became more abstract.

Prof. Marshall Bierson, an ethics expert at the Catholic University of America, explores Elizabeth Anscombe’s moral absolutism. He argues that philosophical questions can often be grammatically confused, which obscures the nature of moral absolutes. Bierson highlights the tension between consequentialism and absolutism, using examples like the Trolley Problem and chess rules to illustrate his points. He emphasizes Anscombe’s distinction between reasons and logoi, revealing how moral language shapes our understanding of constraints and justifications.