Alasdair MacIntyre: Critic of Modernity PDF
Preview Alasdair MacIntyre: Critic of Modernity
Alasdair MacIntyre Alasdair MacIntyre is widely recognised today as one of the most significant philosophers working in the English-speaking world. His intellectual impact has not been confined entirely to the world of philosophy for, unlike many technically minded philosophers, MacIntyre has avoided separating the issues of both general philosophy and moral philosophy from the social and historical context in which they are embedded. This study seeks to set before a largely non-philosophically minded social science readership something of the social and cultural significance of MacIntyre’s work. It does this by first outlining the main political and cultural influences that have shaped the outlook of MacIntyre’s writing. The most important of these influences are undoubtedly, on the one hand, Christianity and, on the other, the Marxist tradition, as well as the broad intellectual inheritance of the classical world. This book argues that it is out of these traditions that MacIntyre has produced his radically distinctive critique of contemporary liberal societies. The book then examines the significance for the social sciences of MacIntyre’s elaboration and restatement of an Aristotelian critique of the moral culture of modernity. MacIntyre’s work is shown to be deeply connected to the historical narrative of social change presented by Karl Polanyi, and this work is shown to be more plausible than some contemporary critics would allow. MacIntyre’s characterisation of modernity, as being based around an unfounded managerialist culture and a rhetorically emotivist moral discourse, is seen to reveal the potential of a critical social science based on Aristotelian moral categories. Peter McMylor lectures in Sociology at the University of Manchester. Alasdair MacIntyre Critic of modernity Peter McMylor London and New York First published 1994 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 © 1994Peter McMylor All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McMylor, Peter, 1958- Alasdair MacIntyre: critic of modernity/Peter McMylor. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. MacIntyre, Alasdair C.–Contributions in philosophy and social sciences. 2. Philosophy and social sciences. I. Title. B1647.M124M38 1993 192–dc20 93–3490 CIP — ISBN 0-203-99103-6 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-415-04426-X (Print Edition) 0-415-04427-8 (pbk) iv Contents Preface vi Part I MacIntyre—Christianity and/or Marxism? 1 Christianity and Marxism: acceptance and 3 rejection 2 An excursus on the possibility of an 45 Aristotelian Marxism Part II Markets, managers and the virtues 3 MacIntyre’s evaluative history and Polanyi’s 75 historical sociology 4 The morality of markets and the ‘crisis of 107 authority’: notes for a sociology in a world after virtue 5 Managerialism and the culture of 125 bureaucratic individualism 6 Conclusion: narrative and communities 147 Notes 173 Bibliography 207 Index 225 Preface This is not a book written by a philosopher, although it is about someone who for most of his academic life has carried that official designation. Nor is it to be understood as being in any way a substitute for reading MacIntyre’s diverse writings. The substance of MacIntyre’s work lies in the detail of the argument on the printed page. No summary can do justice to the richness and complexity of his later books especially. As a sociologist who lacks the particular academic skills of a philosopher I can only say in justification for having written this text that what interests me about the work of Alasdair MacIntyre is its intent and potency as social criticism, albeit sharpened by the analytic bite of philosophical rigour. MacIntyre is, in the very best sense of the word, a moralist: the limitations and the impoverished quality of life under contemporary liberalism are his real concern and he is consequently too important a writer to be left only to the philosophers. This is particularly the case given the rather complacent consensus emerging within Anglo- American sociology on the enduring value of liberalism, even when decked out in fashionable French or German conceptual clothing. MacIntyre’s work contains so many substantive issues, as well as numerous hints and asides that merit the attention of a sociologist, that it is impossible to follow up more than a few of them within the space of a book of modest size. I would very much like to have attempted to connect MacIntyre to a rich vein of American social criticism in particular. The writers who MacIntyre clearly has much in common with, at least in relation to their perception of the ills of liberalism, are figures like Richard Sennett, Chrisopher Lasch and, above all, Philip Rieff. The omission of Rieff is a particular misfortune, because in recent years MacIntyre has made particular reference to his work on our therapeutic culture, as a basis for vii understanding contemporary western society. I hope to remedy this omission elsewhere. In the course of writing this book I have naturally incurred a number of intellectual debts. The most obvious of these is to Huw Beynon, who supervised my PhD thesis from which this book in part derives. Without Huw’s patient and wise advice nothing would have been produced. I would also like to thank Richard Brown and John Maguire for their encouragement when I began to write. As is obvious from the text, Scott Meikle has been an important influence on what follows, but is unlikely to be very happy about the result and bears no responsibility for any of the conclusions drawn from his work. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the support of many friends and colleagues who, frequently without realising it, make many things possible. Peter McMylor Manchester 1993 viii Part I MacIntyre—Christianityand/or Marxism?
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