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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lesson in how to do, and write, philosophy., 20 Mar 2001
By A Customer
Taking its title from one of Williams' most influential, and best, essays, this collection touches on just about every philosophically interesting topic you could hope for. But, as always, Williams' thought is never less than completely rigorous and stimulating. 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.
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