Parfit: A Philosopher and His Mission to Save Morality

“What David Edmonds does so well is to show you that even though Derek Parfit was the great modern philosopher of selflessness—which has been foundational to the effective altruism movement and other modern philosophies—his philosophy was so closely associated with his personality. Edmonds is very good at explaining Parfit’s ideas, and doing so in a way that is not oversimplified, but which is also not the headache of reading Parfit’s original work. But the real achievement of the book is to show you how Parfit’s personality changed very significantly, and that embrace this question of, as he became more reclusive and obsessed with his work, did he—as some people say—become a cruel and selfish person who was willing to upset the people who loved him.” Read more...

The Best Intellectual Biographies

Henry Oliver, Biographer

“His parents were literally missionaries. And Parfit had a sort of missionary zeal for proving and persuading people beyond doubt that morality was objective, meeting every possible objection and persuading his most eminent colleagues that this was so. Or at least trying to. He even said that his life would have been a waste if he didn’t succeed in showing that morality was objective. I think it’s generally accepted that he didn’t succeed in that. But he became obsessed … when I say obsessed, I mean he was obsessive as well. Quite a lot of the biography charts the fascinating arc of his life—from the good-looking, intelligent, young man, a brilliant student, who had always been exceptional in his intelligence, and the transformation that happened in later life.” Read more...

The Best Philosophy Books of 2023

Nigel Warburton, Philosopher