Alasdair MacIntyre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alasdair MacIntyre
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MacIntyre in 2009
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Alasdair Chalmers MacIntyre
12 January 1929 Glasgow, Scotland
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| Died | 22 May 2025 (aged 96) |
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| Academic advisors | Dorothy Emmet |
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Alasdair Chalmers MacIntyre (born January 12, 1929 – died May 22, 2025) was a famous British-American philosopher. He made big contributions to how we think about right and wrong (moral philosophy) and how societies should be run (political philosophy). He also studied the history of philosophy and religion. His book After Virtue (1981) is considered one of the most important books on morals and politics from the 20th century.
MacIntyre taught at many universities. These include the University of Notre Dame, London Metropolitan University, Brandeis University, Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and Boston University.
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About Alasdair MacIntyre
Alasdair MacIntyre was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on January 12, 1929. His parents were Eneas and Greta MacIntyre. He studied at Queen Mary College, London, the University of Manchester, and the University of Oxford.
He started teaching in 1951 in Manchester. He taught in the United Kingdom at the University of Leeds, the University of Essex, and the University of Oxford. Around 1969, he moved to the United States. He taught at many different universities there.
Some of his teaching roles included:
- Professor of History of Ideas at Brandeis University.
- Dean of the College of Arts and professor of philosophy at Boston University.
- Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.
- Arts & Sciences Professor of Philosophy at Duke University.
He was also the president of the American Philosophical Association. In 2010, he received the Aquinas Medal for his work in philosophy. He was also a member of important groups like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
After 2010, he retired from full-time teaching. However, he continued to be a senior research fellow at the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. He kept giving public talks and presentations.
Alasdair MacIntyre was married three times. He had two daughters with his first wife, Ann Peri. With his second wife, Susan Willans, he had a son and a daughter. His third wife was philosopher Lynn Joy. MacIntyre passed away on May 22, 2025, when he was 96 years old.
His Ideas on Morals
MacIntyre's ideas about right and wrong are quite deep. He wanted to bring back an older way of thinking about morals, based on what are called "virtues." Virtues are good qualities like honesty, courage, and kindness. He believed that having a good character is key to making good choices.
He thought that modern arguments about right and wrong often get stuck. This is because people use different basic ideas that don't fit together. MacIntyre looked at the history of how people have thought about ethics. He showed that there are no simple, neutral rules that everyone can agree on for moral questions.
In his most famous book, After Virtue, he argued that thinkers from the Age of Enlightenment tried to create universal moral rules. These rules were supposed to work for everyone, no matter what. But MacIntyre believed this attempt failed. This failure, he said, led some later thinkers to believe that there's no real way to be rational about morals at all.
Instead, MacIntyre suggested we look back to the ideas of ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and medieval thinker Thomas Aquinas. They believed that human actions have a purpose or goal (a "telos"). Living a good life means acting in ways that help us reach that purpose. MacIntyre thought this older way of thinking was "the best theory so far" for understanding how things are and how we should act.
He also believed that moral discussions always happen within different "traditions" of thought. These traditions are like different ways of seeing the world, with their own ideas and ways of arguing. Even if traditions don't agree, they can still learn from each other. They can see if another tradition's ideas make sense or if they can solve problems better.
Important Books
After Virtue (1981)
This is probably MacIntyre's most famous book. He wrote it when he was in his fifties. In After Virtue, he explains why modern discussions about right and wrong often feel broken. He also tries to show how we can bring back the idea of good character (virtue ethics) from Aristotle's time.
MacIntyre argued that modern society, especially with its focus on money and power, can make it hard for people to live good lives based on strong moral character. He suggested that local communities should try to protect their traditional ways of life. These traditions help people develop virtues.
Whose Justice? Which Rationality? (1988)
In this book, MacIntyre explored his idea of "traditions" more deeply. He argued that different ideas about fairness and justice come from different ways of thinking. These different ways of thinking are part of "socially embodied traditions." A tradition, he said, is like a long argument over time where people keep defining and redefining their basic agreements.
He looked at examples of different traditions, like those from Aristotle and Augustine of Hippo. He showed how these traditions have different ideas about justice because their basic ways of understanding the world are different. Even if these traditions don't fully agree, they can still talk to each other. They can challenge each other's ideas and see which one can solve problems better.
Dependent Rational Animals (1999)
In this book, MacIntyre looked at how human beings are both smart and dependent on others. He argued that our ability to think and reason depends on us being cared for, especially when we are young or old. He said that "human weakness and needing help" are key parts of being human.
He believed that we need "virtues of dependency" to grow from babies into independent thinkers. These virtues include things like kindness, care, and helping others. He wanted to show that the idea of a completely independent person who doesn't need anyone else is wrong. Instead, our need for others is a big part of what makes us human. It also shows why certain good qualities are so important for us to thrive.
Virtue Ethics
MacIntyre is a very important person in bringing back the idea of virtue ethics. This way of thinking about morals focuses on what kind of person you should be. It asks: "How can I live a good life?" It's not just about following rules or thinking about the results of your actions. Instead, it's about developing a good character.
He believed that good choices come from having a good character. For example, an honest person will make honest choices. He connected this idea back to Aristotle, who believed that every person and thing has a purpose. Living a good life means fulfilling that purpose. MacIntyre also looked at Thomas Aquinas, who combined Aristotle's ideas with Christian thought.
MacIntyre emphasized that virtues are important within a community. He called these "internal goods" or "goods of excellence." These are good things that come from doing something well, like the skill and teamwork in a sports game. He believed these are more important than "external goods" like money or fame.
He also said that virtues don't replace moral rules. Some rules, he thought, are always true and have no exceptions. But he believed that virtues are deeply connected to specific ways of life and communities.
Politics
MacIntyre's ideas about ethics also shaped his views on politics. He argued that the "goods of excellence" (like skill and good character) are more important than "external goods" (like money, power, and status). He believed that modern ways of life, especially those focused on buying and selling things, often value external goods too much.
He was sometimes called a "revolutionary Aristotelian." This is because he combined ideas from his past as a Marxist (someone who believes in a society where wealth is shared) with the ideas of Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle. He thought that modern liberalism (a political idea about individual freedom) and postmodern consumerism (a focus on buying things) support capitalism.
He also criticized Marxism, saying that it sometimes fell back into similar ways of thinking as other modern ideas. For MacIntyre, being a good person and making good choices should be a universal quality. It's not just for people in ancient Greece.
In his younger days, MacIntyre was involved with different political groups, including the Communist Party of Great Britain.
Religion
In the early 1980s, MacIntyre became a Catholic. After this, his work was influenced by what he called an "Augustinian Thomist approach to moral philosophy." This means he combined the ideas of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.
In an interview, MacIntyre explained that he became Catholic because he became convinced that Thomism (the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas) was true. He had been trying to show his students that it wasn't, but he ended up convincing himself.
He also wrote about how philosophy and religion are connected. He explored the history of Catholic philosophy in his book God, Philosophy and Universities.
Works
- 1953. Marxism: An Interpretation.
- 1958, 2004. The Unconscious: A Conceptual Analysis.
- 1966, 1998. A Short History of Ethics.
- 1968, 1995. Marxism and Christianity.
- 1981, 2007. After Virtue.
- 1988. Whose Justice? Which Rationality?
- 1990. Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry.
- 1999. Dependent Rational Animals: Why Human Beings Need the Virtues.
- 2005. Edith Stein: A Philosophical Prologue, 1913–1922.
- 2006. The Tasks of Philosophy: Selected Essays, Volume 1.
- 2006. Ethics and Politics: Selected Essays, Volume 2.
- 2009. God, Philosophy, Universities: A Selective History of the Catholic Philosophical Tradition.
- 2016. Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity: An Essay on Desire, Practical Reasoning, and Narrative.
See also
- Analytical Thomism
