Interventions in Ethics

Professor Phillips argues that human beings need "Interventions in Ethics" to counteract our tendancies to generalize about moral issues. There is a gap between the tidiness of ethical systems and the hetrogeneity of morals. We need not only to criticize attempted definitions of the essence of morality, but also to give up the search for such an essence. In this collection of essays, written between 1965 and 1990, this need is explored in relation to such issues as the nature of moral endeavour; the request for a justification of moral endeavour; the appeal to human flourishing; the nature of the good life; the nature of moral endeavour; the appeal to human flourishing; the nature of the good life; the nature of moral change; and moral relativity. Professor Phillips argues his case in relation to the work of contemporary philosophers including A.G.N.Amcombe, Annette Baier, Max Black, Cora Diamond, Thomas Nagel, Bernard Williams and Peter Winch.