Bernard Williams and the limits of philosophical ethics

Bernard Williams (1929-2003) is considered as one of the most eminent moral philosophers of Anglophone world in the second half of the twentieth century. His views are still influential in contemporary debates. This study examines Williams' ethical thought and discusses his views on the possibilities and the limitations of moral philosophy. The first part covers Williams's views on the characteristic positions and tendencies in modern moral philosophy. One of the main conclusions that can be drawn from the first part is that Williams finds characteristic positions and tendencies in modern moral philosophy as resting on misleading conceptions of moral agent and practical rationality. Thus, the second part examines Williams' conception of practical reason, and the third part surveys his views on ancient Greek ethical thought in a way that brings out his conception of moral agent. Our study ends with a discussion of Williams' thoughts on the possibilities and the limitations of moral philosophy.