Ideas from 'Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy' by Bernard Williams [1985], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy' by Williams,Bernard [Fontana 1985,0-00-686001-x]].

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7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 2. Realism

22355

In the realist view, the real external world explains how it (and perceptions of it) are possible

13. Knowledge Criteria / E. Relativism / 6. Relativism Critique

4244	It is very confused to deduce a nonrelativist morality of universal toleration from relativism

4243	Our ability to react to an alien culture shows that ethical thought extends beyond cultural boundaries

22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / d. Ethical theory

4114	Philosophers try to produce ethical theories because they falsely assume that ethics can be simple

22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / c. Ethical intuitionism

4128	Intuitionism has been demolished by critics, and no longer looks interesting

22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / e. Human nature

4132	The category of person is a weak basis for ethics, because it is not fixed but comes in degrees

22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / i. Prescriptivism

4134	The weakness of prescriptivism is shown by "I simply don't like staying at good hotels"

22. Metaethics / B. Value / 1. Nature of Value / b. Fact and value

4135	Some ethical ideas, such as 'treachery' and 'promise', seem to express a union of facts and values

22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / g. Consequentialism

4120	It is an error of consequentialism to think we just aim at certain states of affairs; we also want to act

23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 3. Promise Keeping

4252	Promise keeping increases reliability, by making deliberation focus on something which would be overlooked

23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 5. Free Rider

4116	A weakness of contractual theories is the position of a person of superior ability and power

23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / c. Motivation for virtue

4112	A crucial feature of moral thought is second-order desire - the desire to have certain desires

23. Ethics / D. Deontological Ethics / 1. Deontology

4113	'Deon' in Greek means what one must do; there was no word meaning 'duty'

23. Ethics / D. Deontological Ethics / 2. Duty

4248	Not all moral deliberations lead to obligations; some merely reveal what 'may' be done

4110	Obligation and duty look backwards (because of a promise or job), although the acts are in the future

4250	The concept of a 'duty to myself' is fraudulent

4249	"Ought implies can" is a famous formula in connection with moral obligation

23. Ethics / D. Deontological Ethics / 3. Universalisability

4122	If the self becomes completely impartial, it no longer has enough identity to worry about its interests

4121	Why should I think of myself as both the legislator and the citizen who follows the laws?

23. Ethics / E. Utilitarianism / 3. Motivation for Altruism

4124	Utilitarian benevolence involves no particular attachments, and is immune to the inverse square law

23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 7. Existential Action

4245	Ethical conviction must be to some extent passive, and can't just depend on the will and decisions

4246	Taking responsibility won't cure ethical uncertainty by; we are uncertain what to decide

25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / a. Aims of education

4247	It is a mark of our having ethical values that we aim to reproduce them in our children

25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 3. Abortion

4131	Most women see an early miscarriage and a late stillbirth as being very different in character

25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 6. Animal Rights

4133	Speciesism isn't like racism, because the former implies a viewpoint which belongs to no one