SOURCE: "George Edward Moore," in Knowledge and Certainty: Essays and Lectures, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1963, pp. 163-86.

In the following essay, Malcolm recalls his personal interaction with Moore, finding him less imaginative than Bertrand Russell and less profound than Ludwig Wittgenstein but admiring his essay "Defence of Common Sense. "

I

I should like to say something about the character of G. E. Moore, the man and philosopher, whom I knew for the last twenty years of his life. He was a very gentle and sweet-natured human being, as anyone acquainted with him would testify. For one thing, he had a wonderful way with children. When he read or told a story or explained something to a child, the scene was so delightful that the adults within hearing were enthralled, as well as the child. He liked to spend time with children. To one son, Moore gave a music lesson every...