Contemporary moral particularists like Jonathan Dancy argue that the possibility of morality does not depend on moral principles. He maintains that principles do not exist. According to particularism, if there were any moral principle, there would have to be exceptions to it; if there were plurality of principles, they would necessarily tend to come into conflict. This paper attempts a defense of the need for and existence of moral principles. Such a defense is a form of principlism which will be argued for and explained by this paper. This defense begins with a conceptual understanding of principle which gives rise to some metaphysical features and functions of principles. In virtue of these features and functions, the proposed principlism is able to meet the particularist criticisms. More importantly, this principlist view of morality is able to give an account of moral consistency and the contextual sensitivity of morality.