The Moral Philosophy of Bernard Williams

Bernard Williams (1929-2003) is one of the most influential philosophers of the past 100 years, with work ranging from meta-ethics to philosophy of mind to reflections on pop culture. Williams wrote with a deep sensitivity to the limitations in our knowledge, and an optimistic outlook on the prospects that we have, nonetheless, for social and moral progress. If Williams was right, we still have much to learn from the Classical world, and much of the responsibility that intellectuals have relates to the need to interpret and apply that knowledge. But Williams was not stuck in the past, and he did not advocate a rejection of science or modernity. Instead, Williams argued that there is often more knowledge around us than we realize, and more opportunity than we realize for refinements in our basic ideas about persons, ethics, and politics. This anthology showcases some of the best, and most recent, work from scholars working through some of the problems that Williams identified. As Williams might have expected, there is a great deal of disagreement on selected points, and even on the particular approach used. But in their commitment to a reflective and always somewhat skeptical outlook, the authors here continue a tradition that Williams felt was vital.