Dialogue: The Legacy of Bernard Williams

Bringing thinkers to the LSE for an hour and a half discussion during lunchtime, this series offers a unique mix of insights into both the biographical and intellectual development of our most distinguished thinkers.

This dialogue will explore a variety of inter-connected themes from the work of Bernard Williams: his ‘internal’ conception of reasons for action, the ethical relativism that grows out of that conception; his controversial insistence on the idea of an ‘absolute conception’ of reality; his argument for the possibility of ethical knowledge and the provocative idea that such knowledge can be destroyed by reflection; his interest in the limits of philosophy and its border with history, and the genealogical method that is designed to negotiate that border. Running through these themes is the question of Williams’ relation to other philosophers, most notably Hume and Nietzsche. Finally, the participants will reflect on the nature of Williams’ positive philosophical legacy.

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