A Study Of Bernard Williams’ Thoughts On Personal Integrity

In contemporary moral philosophy,it is important to reflect on normative ethics and to revive virtue ethics.Bernard Williams is recognized as one of the most important contemporary philosophers who has made outstanding contributions to ethics.Recognizing that the "absolute truth" proclaimed by modern moral philosophy has led to the detachment of ethics from real life,he launched a profound critique of utilitarianism and deontology,and focused his attention on concrete individuals and complex lives.The idea of personal integrity typifies this feature of Williams’ philosophy.This paper attempts to reconstruct his idea of personal integrity by dividing it into three parts: "morality," "self," and "life," and then examines the questions that each part may face and gives its own response.First,Williams draws on the idea of personal integrity to launch a profound critique of moral theories such as utilitarianism and deontology,reflecting his concern for specific individuals and ethical situations.However,one may wonder whether the personal integrity that critiques just moral theories is normative.Secondly,personal integrity emphasizes the "self" and makes us aware of the need to act from a first-person perspective.Moreover,the reasons and motivations for action should be derived from the deepest identity of the self.However,an overemphasis on the self not only faces accusations of self-indulgence,but also raises doubts about whether the commitment to which the self is deeply identified has any real value.Finally,personal integrity is a profound answer to the question "How should one live?" at the individual level.We should be true to ourselves and our lives,and find the meaning of our lives in the projects and commitments that we deeply identify with.However,integrity’s focus on the meaning of life also provokes us to think about the relationship between life and the meaning of life.Admittedly,Williams’ exposition of the idea of personal integrity is inadequate.There are many doubts,but all three aspects require the idea of personal integrity to deal with the relationship between "how people should live" and "how to live with others".These two questions not only represent different approaches to the idea of personal integrity and normative ethics,but also questions that individuals always have to answer when faced with complex ethical lives.