On What Matters Vol. 2

About this book

On What Matters is a major work in moral philosophy. It is the long-awaited follow-up to Derek Parfits 1984 book Reasons and Persons one of the landmarks of twentieth-century philosophy. In this first volume Parfit presents a powerful new treatment of reasons and rationality and a critical examination of three systematic moral theories -- Kants ethics contractualism and consequentialism -- leading to his own ground-breaking synthetic conclusion. Along the way he discusses a wide range of moral issues such as the significance of consent treating people as a means rather than an end and free will and responsibility. On What Matters is already the most-discussed work in moral philosophy: its publication is likely to establish it as a modern classic which everyone working on moral philosophy will have to read and which many others will turn to for stimulation and illumination.