Bernard Williams Books

Focusing on moral philosophy and rational action, this collection of essays by Bernard Williams builds on his previous work while addressing contemporary concerns that challenge traditional moral and political thought. Key themes include the limitations of utilitarianism, the concept of integrity, relativism, and moral conflict. Williams' insights are characterized by imaginative and acute analysis, offering a deep psychological understanding that will engage philosophers and a broader audience alike, making it a thought-provoking contribution to modern philosophical discourse.

Claims that while we are in many ways different from the Greeks the differences are not to be traced to a shift in basic conceptions of ethical life. This book argues that we are more like the ancients than we are prepared to acknowledge, and only when this is understood can we grasp our differences from them, such as our rejection of slavery.

This collection of Bernard Williams's papers continues to explore profound philosophical themes, appealing to those deeply engaged in the field. It builds upon the insights from his earlier works, "Problems of the Self" and "Moral Luck," offering a rich examination of complex ideas that challenge conventional thinking. Readers can expect thought-provoking discussions that contribute significantly to contemporary philosophical discourse.

A new volume of philosophical essays by Bernard Williams. The book is a successor to Problems of the Self, but whereas that volume dealt mainly with questions of personal identity, Moral Luck centres on questions of moral philosophy and the theory of rational action. That whole area has of course been strikingly reinvigorated over the last deacde, and philosophers have both broadened and deepened their concerns in a way that now makes much earlier moral and political philosophy look sterile and trivial. Moral Luck contains a number of essays that have contributed influentially to this development. Among the recurring themes are the moral and philosophical limitations of utilitarianism, the notion of integrity, relativism, and problems of moral conflict and rational choice. The work presented here is marked by a high degree of imagination and acuity, and also conveys a strong sense of psychological reality. The volume will be a stimulating source of ideas and arguments for all philosophers and a wide range of other readers.

The first collection of popular reviews and essays from distinguished philosopher Bernard Williams Bernard Williams was one of the most important philosophers of the past fifty years, but he was also a distinguished critic and essayist with an elegant style and a rare ability to communicate complex ideas to a wide public. This is the first collection of Williams's popular essays and reviews. Williams writes about a broad range of subjects, from philosophy to science, the humanities, economics, feminism, and pornography. Included are reviews of major books such as John Rawls’s Theory of Justice, Richard Rorty’s Consequences of Pragmatism, and Martha Nussbaum’s Therapy of Desire. But many of these essays extend beyond philosophy, providing an intellectual tour through the past half century, from C. S. Lewis to Noam Chomsky. No matter the subject, readers see a first-class mind grappling with landmark books in "real time," before critical consensus had formed and ossified.

In this book Bernard Williams delivers a sustained indictment of moral theory from Kant onward. His goal is nothing less than to reorient ethics toward the individual. He deals with the most thorny questions in contemporary philosophy and offers new ideas about issues such as relativism, objectivity, and the possibility of ethical knowledge.

Bernard Williams, who died in 2003, was one of the most influential moral philosophers of his generation. A lifelong opera lover, his articles and essays, talks for the BBC, contributions to the Grove Dictionary of Opera , and program notes for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the English National Opera, generated a devoted following. This elegant volume brings together these widely scattered and largely unobtainable pieces, including two that have not been previously published. It covers an engaging range of topics from Mozart to Wagner, including sparkling essays on specific operas by those composers as well as Verdi, Puccini, Strauss, Debussy, Janacek, and Tippett. Reflecting Williams’s brilliance, passion, and clarity of mind, these essays engage with, and illustrate, the enduring appeal of opera as an art form.

Explores the value of truth and finds it to be both less and more than we might imagine. This book identifies two basic virtues of truth, accuracy and sincerity. It describes different psychological and social forms that these virtues have taken and asks what ideas can make best sense of them.

Bernard Williams's remarkable essay on morality confronts the problems of writing moral philosophy.

Two essays on utilitarianism, written from opposite points of view, by J. J. C. Smart and Bernard Williams.