About this philosophy book
After Virtue : A Study in Moral Theory, Third Edition by Alasdair MacIntyre is a philosophy book available to read on EtoBox.
MacIntyre's book is a sustained critique of "the modern project." The modern project came about in the 17th and 18th centuries. Thinkers tried to rework ethics and philosophy but in a new way: abandoning the Aristotelian and judeo-Christian ethic, they ended with a schizophrenic autonomy. Man is now seen as an autonomous agent who should further his autonomy but must live in the contradiction with other autonomous agents who also want to protect their autonomy. The modern project is a violent one at its core. The strength of MacIntyre's work is his sustained critique of modernity and the "natural rights" tradition. He reintroduces the concept of "narrative" as an ethical tool. I will highlight the main ideas: The Ghost of "Human Rights" Rights have a highly specific character and are resistant to the idea of universality. The language of rights talk differs from century to century and place to place, at each moment reflecting more the demands of th community rather than the story of humanity. And when rights are attempted to be universal in scope, they reflect, not the needs of humanity, but the agenda of the powered elite. Rights talk can be rehabilitated, but only in terms of l
It is typically read by self-directed learners exploring a subject in depth.
Common subject areas: history, science, philosophy, social sciences.
- Author
- Alasdair MacIntyre
- Publisher
- University of Notre Dame Press
- Published
- 2007
- Language
- EN
- ISBN
- 9780268086923
- Category
- philosophy
- Subjects
- Fiction, Religion, Philosophy
- Rating
- 4.14 / 5 (154 ratings)
- Updated
- 2026-03-14