‘[W]e ought to aspire to provide the best theory so far as to what type of theory the best theory so far must be: no more, but no less.’
That was the title of my extremely overwrought undergrad thesis (continued -‘Does Alasdair MacIntyre tell us how to identify a rationally acceptable system of ethics?’) in 1997 (https://www.academia.edu/10016029/1997_Benjamin_Taylor_undergraduate_thesis_does_Alasdair_MacIntyre_tell_us_how_to_identify_a_rationally_acceptable_system_of_ethics), and reflected the deep impact he had on me and my thinking, which has continued in mostly subtle ways.
I appear to have said:l (or this is an automatic AI summary – they were equally dense!):
‘The thesis examines MacIntyre’s view of modern ethics as irresolvable and interminable, highlighting the need for history to replace reification with justification. It introduces the concept of tradition, recasting irresolvability and interminability as incommensurability, and explores the possibility of communication through crisis. The work further discusses MacIntyre’s contextualist epistemology, rationality within a tradition, and the role of narrative in justifying ethical systems. It also addresses challenges such as relativism and perspectivism, and considers MacIntyre’s presentation of Thomism as a form of historicism that is neither relativist nor Hegelian. The thesis concludes by emphasizing the disquieting suggestions in MacIntyre’s work and the difficulty in establishing a tradition-based rationality with ultimately rational justification.’
He probably didn’t deserve my prognostications. But the multiple layers of his thinking – reflecting on the boundaries and origins of thinking itself, the situatedness and dependence and contingency of rationality and ethics – impressed me deeply and align with what I value most in systems |cybernetics |complexity and metarationality.
I was lucky enough to see him ‘live’ once, at a lecture in London that I think was organised by Anthony Grayling, and his mien and delivery spoke – as on the live and YouTube lectures I have seen since – of someone whose way of life was completely and deeply aligned with his thinking. This was reflected in the big shifts of belief and alignment he made during his life. His intellectual journey – from Marxism to Thomism – demonstrates a commitment to rigorous inquiry and openness to transformation.
So his death marks the passing of a philosopher whose work has profoundly influenced my own thinking and practice, and more importantly has been an important voice in the world In After Virtue, MacIntyre diagnosed the fragmentation of moral language in modernity and proposed a return to virtue ethics grounded in historical traditions and communal practices.
His critique of modern moral discourse and revival of Aristotelian virtue ethics have been central to my understanding of ethics within organisations and society. This perspective and his concept of “practices” have l informed my approach to organisational development, emphasising the cultivation of internal goods and the importance of narrative in shaping ethical practices.
His later work highlighted the role of vulnerability and dependence in human life, challenging the notion of the autonomous individual. MacIntyre’s emphasis on the historical and cultural embeddedness of moral reasoning, recognising that moral concepts evolve within traditions has also been of great value.
Alasdair MacIntyre’s legacy is one of profound philosophical insight coupled with a deep concern for the moral fabric of society. His work continues to challenge and inspire those of us committed to ethical practice in complex organisational and societal contexts.
RIP
Posts referencing MacIntyre featured here
Classic paper Epistemological crises, dramatic narrative and the philosophy of science / Alasdair MacIntyre. – The Monist, 1977 https://stream.syscoi.com/2018/09/23/epistemological-crises-dramatic-narrative-and-the-philosophy-of-science-alasdair-mcintyre-the-monist-1977/
Ben Sweeting (a fellow MacIntyre fan) https://stream.syscoi.com/2018/09/22/cybernetics-virtue-ethics-and-design-ben-sweeting-rsd16/
The meaning of the public good – https://stream.syscoi.com/2018/06/03/the-meaning-of-the-public-good-inquirer-opinion/
Psyberton – https://stream.syscoi.com/2023/02/13/whatever-next-psybertron-asks/
His classic lecture ‘the sources of unpredictability in human affairs’ – https://stream.syscoi.com/2021/05/26/alasdair-macintyre-the-sources-of-unpredictability-in-human-affairs-1972-youtube/
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