Why did Bernard Williams turn to history to understand human nature?

Bernard Williams turned to history to understand human nature because he believed that, unlike the natural sciences, the study of humanity cannot be detached from the human perspective. He argued that attempting to transcend one's own point of view to reach a universal, objective standard—as seen in many ethical theories—is fundamentally misguided and often self-deceived.1

Instead, Williams concluded that history provides a necessary distance from the present, allowing for a deeper exploration of human life without abandoning the "fullness of the human perspective". By examining the past, he could analyze how ethical truths are often local, historically contingent, and rooted in the actual motives and practices of people rather than being timeless or universal. This approach aligned with his admiration for the genealogical method of Friedrich Nietzsche, which serves as a form of historical self-exploration. Through works like Shame and Necessity, Williams demonstrated how historical and literary contexts, such as Greek tragedy, offer essential insights into human morality and the role of contingency in our lives.1