Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction: political philosophy in the twentieth century
- Part I The three basic alternatives in the early twentieth century
- Part II ??migr?? responses to World War II
- Part III The revival of liberal political philosophy
- Part IV Critiques of liberalism
- 14 Jean-Paul Sartre: ???in the soup???
- 15 Michel Foucault: an ethical politics of care of self and others
- 16 J??rgen Habermas: postwar German political debates and the making of a critical theorist
- 17 Alasdair MacIntyre on political thinking and the tasks of politics
- 18 Another philosopher-citizen: the political philosophy of Charles Taylor
- Index
- References
17 - Alasdair MacIntyre on political thinking and the tasks of politics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction: political philosophy in the twentieth century
- Part I The three basic alternatives in the early twentieth century
- Part II ??migr?? responses to World War II
- Part III The revival of liberal political philosophy
- Part IV Critiques of liberalism
- 14 Jean-Paul Sartre: ???in the soup???
- 15 Michel Foucault: an ethical politics of care of self and others
- 16 J??rgen Habermas: postwar German political debates and the making of a critical theorist
- 17 Alasdair MacIntyre on political thinking and the tasks of politics
- 18 Another philosopher-citizen: the political philosophy of Charles Taylor
- Index
- References
Summary
To summarize Alasdair MacIntyre's contributions to political thought in a few words is something easier agreed to than done. For the most part his contributions to political thought are embedded in more general ethical discussions, found in a series of books and papers spanning six decades, and already the object of a considerable secondary literature. The aims of this chapter must then be modest: to trace briefly the evolution of MacIntyre's political thinking, to outline the position that he has held since the late 1980s, and to offer a brief evaluation of his contribution to political thinking in our time.
MacIntyre's first book was Marxism: An Interpretation. When he wrote this book MacIntyre thought of himself as both a Marxist and a Christian, or at least as someone trying to be both a Marxist and a Christian. In it he tried to argue for the compatibility of Marxism and Christianity, or at least for a more nuanced understanding of the relationships between them than was customary at the time. By 1968, when he published a revised version under the title Marxism and Christianity, he had ceased to be either a Marxist or a Christian. Although the ins and outs of MacIntyre's long engagement with Marxism will not detain us here, two texts are especially important for understanding his current position.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Political Philosophy in the Twentieth CenturyAuthors and Arguments, pp. 252 - 263Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011
References
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