On What Matters, Vol. 1 (The Berkeley Tanner Lectures)
"[On What Matters] stands as a grand and dedicated attempt to elaborate a fundamentally misguided perspective. Its diligence and its honesty command respect. Perhaps these real virtues will set standards for a very different ventures in academic ethics. Naturalist or otherwise--for a return to the tradition of attempts to understand and improve everyday judgment, and to provide resources for people and policymakers everywhere. In the end, that is what matters."--Philip Kitcher,The New Republic"The most significant work in ethics since Sidgwick's masterpiece was published in 1873 ... a work of epic proportions and ambitions"--Peter Singer,Times Literary Supplement"The most eagerly awaited book in philosophy since Ludwig Wittgenstein'sPhilosophical Investigations... Should the book become as influential as the stars guiding its arrival suggest, it could seriously alter the way that ethics is thought about and taught."--Constantine Sandis, Times HigherEducation"Represents many years of work by one of the most influential philosophers of our time"--Simon Blackburn,Financial Times"It is finally here. . . there is no doubt thatOn What Mattersis an epochal work . . . a remarkable achievement, giving us a truly comprehensive picture of the moral outlook . . . of one of the greatest moral thinkers of our time. . . . Parfit's intellectual personality radiates throughoutOn WhatMatters, which as a whole presents a gripping and illuminating picture of a single, comprehensive view of the projects of both normative and metaethical inquiry."--Mark Schroeder,Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"Parfits arguments are of extraordinary brilliance and clarity, and by any standardsOn What Mattersis an immensely powerful achievement. . . Parfits intricate and beautifully lucid book is undoubtedly the work of a philosophical genius."--John Cottingham,The Tablet"This book presents a comprehensive theory of the metaphysics, epistemology, and substance of ethical thought. It originality is often striking and its arguments profound.On What Mattersis a monument that will shape the field for many years."--Kieran Setiya,Mind