Books by Bernard Williams
“Williams writes about the state in the context of the challenge of achieving domestic order, his approach can (and I think needs to) be applied to international relations and cooperation. What does maintain order in the world as a whole?” Read more...
The best books on Geopolitics and Global Commerce
Paul Tucker, Economist
Shame and Necessity
by Bernard Williams
Part of Williams’s project in the book is to suggest that there are very important respects in which the early Greeks were much more realistic about the human predicament.
Utilitarianism: For and Against
by Bernard Williams & JJC Smart
Although first published in 1973, this short book is still one of the best ways to get to grips with what can be said for and against a utilitarian approach. J.J. Smart introduces the best case for a Bentham-influenced form of utilitarianism and Bernard Williams responds with powerful criticisms and memorable thought experiments that draw out some of the implications of a utilitarian approach.
Interviews where books by Bernard Williams were recommended
The best books on Ethical Problems, recommended by David Edmonds
Given the choice between allowing five people to die, and killing one person, what would you do? What is the utilitarian argument for vegetarianism? Should we be able to sell our kidneys? The philosopher suggests some answers and picks the best books on ‘ethical problems.’
The best books on Free Will and Responsibility, recommended by Paul Russell
Many philosophical theories try to evade the uncomfortable truth that luck and fate play a role in the conduct of our moral lives, argues philosopher Paul Russell. He chooses the best books on free will and responsibility.
-
1
In the Beginning was the Deed: Realism and Moralism in Political Argument
by Bernard Williams -
2
A Treatise of Human Nature
by David Hume -
3
Justice Among the Nations: A History of International Law
by Stephen Neff -
4
Legitimacy in International Society
by Ian Clark -
5
Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power
by Xuetong Yan
The best books on Geopolitics and Global Commerce, recommended by Paul Tucker
The best books on Geopolitics and Global Commerce, recommended by Paul Tucker
For centuries humanity has struggled with how to build an international order based on law and agreed principles, rather than force and the threat of war. In today’s multi-polar world understanding how such an order might and could be shaped has taken on a renewed urgency. Here, Paul Tucker, a fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, chooses five books on geopolitics and global commerce.
