By the time of his death in 2003, Bernard Williams was one of the greatest philosophers of his generation. "Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy" is not only widely acknowledged to be his most important book, but also hailed a contemporary classic of moral philosophy. Presenting a sustained critique of moral theory from Kant onwards, Williams reorients ethical theory towards 'truth, truthfulness and the meaning of an individual life'. He explores and reflects upon the most difficult problems in contemporary philosophy and identifies new ideas about central issues such as relativism, objectivity and the possibility of ethical knowledge. This edition includes a new commentary on the text by A.W. Moore, St.Hugh's College, Oxford.

B.威廉姆斯（1929-2003），二十世紀英國著名哲學傢。曾先後任教於劍橋大學哲學係和美國加州大學伯剋利分校。他以其在倫理學、古典學、知識論以及對於哲學一般問題的係統反思而著名。代錶作有《個人問題》《道德運氣》《倫理學與哲學的限度》《羞恥與必然性》《真與真實》《泰初有為》等。

陳嘉映，首都師範大學教授，長期從事哲學研究與翻譯工作。他從十年前就可以帶領學生閱讀和翻譯本書，以及威廉斯的其他著作。