Peter Geach

Peter Geach (1916-2013) was a British philosopher who made significant contributions to philosophy of religion, logic, and ethics. A student of Ludwig Wittgenstein at Cambridge, Geach became a leading figure in analytical Thomism, combining medieval scholastic philosophy with modern analytical methods. His work on divine attributes, particularly in "Providence and Evil" (1977), defended classical theistic concepts of God's simplicity, immutability, and omniscience against contemporary philosophical objections. Geach argued for the logical coherence of divine omnipotence while acknowledging certain logical limitations, famously discussing the paradox of the stone. His rigorous approach to natural theology included defending Aquinas's Five Ways and exploring the relationship between God's necessity and contingent creation. Working alongside his wife Elizabeth Anscombe, Geach championed virtue ethics and divine command theory, arguing that moral obligations derive their binding force from God's commands while maintaining that God commands according to wisdom and goodness.