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Much of the most interesting recent work in moral philosophy has been of basically Kantian inspiration; Rawls' own work and those to varying degrees influenced by him such as Richards and Nagel are very evidently in the debt of Kant, while it is interesting that a writer such as Fried who gives evident signs of being pulled away from some characteristic features of this way of looking at morality nevertheless, I shall suggest later, tends to get pulled back into it. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Williams' primary focus is ethics and the ethical life, although there is also some insightful writing on matters relating to epistemology and personal identity. He certainly has some interesting things to say on the latter topic - indeed many of the 'identity-crisis' scenarios he offers here and in PROBLEMS OF THE SELF are now standard in philosophical discussions of personal identity, and are excellent examples of how to use hypothetical cases to really engage the reader.
But it is when he touches on ethical topics that he really shines. The title essay offers a fascinating critique of broadly Kantian moral thinking, and provides the foundations which he builds upon in ETHICS AND THE LIMITS OF PHILOSOPHY. It also manages to offer the reader some genuinely original ideas, and is responsible for giving the important, and intriguing, notion of 'moral luck' to the philosophical world. Similar flashes of inspiration can be found throughout the rest of the essays, and make reading this collection a truly exciting prospect - a real rarity in philosophical writing
Williams may not be the most concise of philosophy writers, but his almost conversational, meandering tone fits perfectly with his style of philosophy. For all of his rigorousness and depth of thought, he is careful not to stray too far from our everyday thinking patterns, and is deeply critical of philosophers who take readers out on a hypothetical limb. It is this last property which makes this a rarity in philosophy - a collection of essays which never fails to grab the interest and attention of the reader.
This is, like most of Williams' writing, required reading for philosophy students everywhere. Buy it now.
"Persons, character and morality" is an insightul critique of Kantianism in ethics. Williams argues that ethics should not demand of us that we take a completely impartial view of the world. Our own personal commitments and values do, and should, make a difference to how we should act.
"Moral luck" makes several challenging suggestions about the inescapability of the role of good luck in justifying some of our decisions. I am tempted to paraphrase one point Williams makes by saying, "The only difference between the genius and the fanatic is that the genius turned out to be right."
"Internal and external reasons" is a technical, but very influential, essay. Williams notes that a person sometimes has a reason to do something because she has some motivation that will be served by that action (i.e., an internal reason). He explores whether one can also have a reason to do something when she does not have a motivation that would be served by that action (i.e., an external reason).
This is a little abstract. One non-technical way of getting at the issue Williams is discussing in this essay is this: Suppose someone doesn't care about morality. In other words, she has no motivation to act morally. Does she then have any reason to act morally?
Some of these essays are a little technical, and may be hard for the general reader to follow. However, many may be enjoyed by any bright person, and I think you can walk away with something from all of them.
After his passing I find his books to be a testament, this one included, to his greatness of thought and humanity.
He is very thick to read, but rewards those who are slow and careful with his ideas. A read that with the proper back ground will enrich your understanding and possibly the way you live your life.
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