The main purpose of this essay is to review Peter Jarvis' book on Ethics and education for adults in a late modern society published by the National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education (England and Wales) (NIACE) in 1997. The essay begins by discussing the aims of the book and comparing it with the only other published book on ethics and adult education. It then outlines the existentialist approach adopted by Jarvis before moving on to discuss the strengths and limitations of this approach and of the book in general. The essay endorses the central thesis of the book which is that the heart of ethical action lies in relationships, in being concerned for the Other and in caring for the Other as a whole person. However the essay then goes on to argue that the book is too preoccupied with personal and professional issues to pay sufficient attention to many of the urgent ethical issues, both global and local, that are facing us to-day.