Alasdair MacIntyre was right all along
Alasdair MacIntyre's philosophy, particularly his work 'After Virtue', has gained renewed attention a year after his death. He critiqued the failure of Enlightenment philosophers to provide a rational basis for morality, leading to a moral vacuum in Western culture. MacIntyre advocated for a return to Aristotelian ethics, emphasizing community and excellence as essential to a meaningful moral framework.
- ▪Alasdair MacIntyre died a year ago, and his ideas are resonating more today.
- ▪In 'After Virtue', MacIntyre argued that Enlightenment philosophers failed to justify morality, resulting in a lack of shared moral rationale in Western culture.
- ▪He proposed a return to Aristotelian ethics, emphasizing community and the concept of excellence as a remedy for moral confusion.
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| Canonical URL | https://unherd.com/2026/05/alasdair-macintyre-was-right-all-along/?edition=us |
| Publication time | Wed, 20 May 2026 23:00:20 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-20T23:05:03.117Z |
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Alasdair MacIntyre was right all along His philosophy has new resonance McIntyre died a year ago today. (Sean O'Connor) McIntyre died a year ago today. (Sean O'Connor) Alasdair MacIntyreAreteAristotleDEIEmotionsImmanuel KantPhilosophystop the boats Ben Cobley May 21 2026 - 12:00am 8 mins “The project of providing a rational vindication of morality had decisively failed,” wrote Alasdair MacIntyre in After Virtue (1981). Enlightenment philosophers like Immanuel Kant had attempted to justify rationally what was effectively Christian morality. But, despite titanic efforts, they hadn’t succeeded. The result, as MacIntyre described it, was that the morality of Western Enlightenment culture lacked any public, shared rationale or justification.
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