ABSTRACT

By the time of his death in 2003, Bernard Williams was one of the greatest philosophers of his generation. Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy is not only widely acknowledged to be his most important book, but also hailed a contemporary classic of moral philosophy.

Presenting a sustained critique of moral theory from Kant onwards, Williams reorients ethical theory towards ‘truth, truthfulness and the meaning of an individual life’. He explores and reflects upon the most difficult problems in contemporary philosophy and identifies new ideas about central issues such as relativism, objectivity and the possibility of ethical knowledge.

This edition also includes a new commentary on the text by A.W.Moore and a foreword by Jonathan Lear.

chapter Chapter 1|21 pages

Socrates' Question

chapter Chapter 2|8 pages

The Archimedean Point

chapter Chapter 3|24 pages

Foundations: Well-Being

chapter Chapter 4|17 pages

Foundations: Practical Reason

chapter Chapter 5|22 pages

Styles of Ethical Theory

chapter Chapter 6|27 pages

Theory and Prejudice

chapter Chapter 7|12 pages

The Linguistic Turn

chapter Chapter 8|24 pages

Knowledge, Science, Convergence

chapter Chapter 9|18 pages

Relativism and Reflection

chapter Chapter 10|23 pages

Morality, the Peculiar Institution

chapter |6 pages

Postscript

chapter |22 pages

Commentary on the Text