Analysis of Some Contemporary Criticisms of Alasdair Macintyre’s Eventual Political Proposal
Published 2026-07-09
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Abstract
Alasdair MacIntyre’s political philosophy has proven to be highly influential in current debates concerning modern political institutions and their relationship to ethics. However, it has also been the focus of numerous criticisms from various schools of thought. Of these, the most documented ones point to a lack of explicitness, clarity, and viability throughout his political proposal. This paper analyzes three of these criticisms, expressed by Perreau-Saussine, Pierre Manent, Keith Breen, Ronald Beiner, and Daniel Edward Young. Firstly, it presents and briefly highlights the main aspects of MacIntyrean political theory. It then analyzes the criticisms of these authors. Finally, it explores the possible existence of a viable political proposal based on MacIntyre’s political theory while also incorporating into the analysis those criticisms that seem to be well-founded.
Keywords
- Alasdair MacIntyre,
- political proposal,
- liberalism,
- modern state,
- state neutrality
- political theory,
- local communities,
- modernity,
- communitarianism,
- Aristotelianism ...More
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