Originally published in 1972, this collection of essays on closely related issues in moral philosophy looks at different aspects of people's understanding of their own and others' actions in ethical dimensions. The book discusses the ways in which the understanding both of man's own nature and of the nature of the world in which he lives, is a function of his social existence. It discusses questions about the character of moral deliberation and decision, the nature of the human will and its connections with action, and the extent to which an individual's moral reasonings must claim universal applicability.

Ludwig Wittgenstein once said: 'I am not a religious man, but I cannot help seeing every problem from a religious point of view.' This study, the last work of the distinguished philosopher Norman Malcolm, is a discussion of what Wittgenstein may have meant by this and its significance for philosophy. The book concludes with a critical discussion of Malcolm's essay by Peter Winch.

Originally published in 1972, and now with a new Preface by Michael Campbell, this collection of essays on closely related issues in moral philosophy looks at different aspects of people's understanding of their own and others' actions in ethical dimensions. The book discusses the ways in which the understanding both of man's own nature and of the nature of the world in which he lives, is a function of his social existence. It discusses questions about the character of moral deliberation and decision, the nature of the human will and its connections with action, and the extent to which an individual's moral reasonings must claim universal applicability.

This essay is the last work by the philosopher Norman Malcolm, before his death in the summer of 1990. Malcolm draws together a large collection of remarks made by Wittgenstein at various stages of his life and in many different contexts, which are expressive of his attitude to religion. He discusses both some of the ways in which Wittgenstein was drawn to religious ways of thinking and also speculates concerning the barriers which stayed him from full religious commitment. Malcolm connects these barriers with Wittgenstein's commitment to philopsophy. He discusses what he takes to be the most important features of Wittgestein's philosophical work and the nature of and reasons for the changes which took place in his thinking between "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus" and "Philosophical Investigations".

In the fiftieth anniversary of this book's first release, Winch's argument remains as crucial as ever. Originally published in 1958, The Idea of a Social Science and Its Relation to Philosophy was a landmark exploration of the social sciences, written at a time when that field was still young and had not yet joined the Humanities and the Natural Sciences as the third great domain of the Academy. A passionate defender of the importance of philosophy to a full understanding of 'society' against those who would deem it an irrelevant 'ivory towers' pursuit, Winch draws from the works of such thinkers as Ludwig Wittgenstein, J.S. Mill and Max Weber to make his case. In so doing he addresses the possibility and practice of a comprehensive 'science of society'.

The Political Responsibility of Intellectuals addresses the many problems in defining the relationship of intellectuals to the society in which they live. In what respects are they responsible for, and to, that society? Should they seek to act as independent arbiters of the values explicitly or implicity espoused by those around them? Should they seek to advise those in public life about the way in which they should act, or should they withdraw from any form of political involvement? And how should their preoccupations with truth and language find practical expression? The contributors to this volume seek to provide tentative answers to these questions. They come from a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from economics to linguistics and sociology to philosophy, and are drawn from both America and Eastern and Western Europe. The volume is given a particular interest by recent political upheavals in Eastern Europe, where many intellectuals have been confronted with sharply practical, sometimes dramatic, choices about their role in the political arena.

This book examines the religious, social, and political thought of Simone Weil in the context of the rigorous philosophical thinking out of which it grew. It also explores illuminating parallels between these ideas and ideas that were simultaneously being developed by Ludwig Wittgenstein. Simone Weil developed a conception of the relation between human beings and nature which made it difficult for her to explain mutual understanding and justice. Her wrestling with this difficulty coincided with a considerable sharpening of her religious sensibility, and led to a new concept of the natural and social orders involving a supernatural dimension, within which the concepts of beauty and justice are paramount. Professor Winch provides a fresh perspective on the complete span of Simone Weil's work, and discusses the fundamental difficulties of tracing the dividing line between philosophy and religion.

In the fiftieth anniversary of this book 's first release, Winch 's argument remains as crucial as ever. Originally published in 1958, The Idea of a Social Science and Its Relation to Philosophy was a landmark exploration of the social sciences, written at a time when that field was still young and had not yet joined the Humanities and the Natural Sciences as the third great domain of the Academy.

A passionate defender of the importance of philosophy to a full understanding of 'society' against those who would deem it an irrelevant 'ivory towers' pursuit, Winch draws from the works of such thinkers as Ludwig Wittgenstein, J.S. Mill and Max Weber to make his case. In so doing he addresses the possibility and practice of a comprehensive 'science of society'.

Ludwig Wittgenstein once said to a friend, "I am not a religious man: but I cannot help seeing every problem from a religious point of view." This puzzling, but intriguing remark is the focus of Norman Malcolm's essay, which forms the centerpiece of this three-part work. Malcolm first draws together a large and illuminating collection of remarks made by Wittgenstein at various stages of his life and in many different contexts that express his attitude toward religion. He discusses some of the ways in which Wittgenstein was drawn to religious modes of thinking and speculates concerning the barriers which kept him from full religious commitment. With great vigor he discusses what be considers the most important features of Wittgenstein's philosophical work and the nature of and reasons for the changes which took place in his thinking between Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigation. He concludes by offering four analogies between Wittgenstein's philosophical methods and his religions attitudes generally. Peter Winch, who opens the volume with an introduction that places Malcolm's essay in the context of his other writings, concludes with a substantial critique of the proposed analogies and suggests an alternative reading of the "spiritual" dimension in Wittgenstein's inquiries.