Whose Justice? Which Rationality?

by Alasdair MacIntyre

Overview

Whose Justice? Which Rationality?, the sequel to After Virtue, is a persuasive argument of there not being rationality that is not the rationality of some tradition. MacIntyre examines the problems presented by the existence of rival traditions of inquiry in the cases of four major philosophers: Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and Hume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268019426
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	03/31/1988
Pages:	422
Sales rank:	324,762
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Alasdair MacIntyre is research professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of numerous books, including After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory, Third Edition, A Short History of Ethics, and Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry: Encyclopaedia, Genealogy, and Tradition, all published by the University of Notre Dame Press.

Editorial Reviews

"Alasdair MacIntyre has done it again. . . . [He] delivers on his promise in After Virtue to develop an account of rationality and justice that is tradition specific. It is a long and complex book, but will repay any reader's labors. In this book MacIntyre tells the story of four traditions: the Aristotelian, the Augustinian, the Scottish, and the rise of the liberal tradition. His narrative shows the interaction of these in a manner that illumines our current intellectual and moral context. . . ." —Commonweal

"It is a step in the right direction, not of returning to some Catholic version of fundamentalist bibliotary, but of reading a Christian theologian and philosopher whose immense wisdom repays careful study by Christians and non-Christians alike." —New Oxford Review

“Whose Justice? Which Rationality? is a work of signal importance ... [it] is usually convincing, always provocative, and has wide-reaching implications for the way we think about our historical moment." —Commentary

“MacIntyre’s rich historical exposition displays all the erudition and philosophical subtlety that his readers have come to expect from his work. . . . [T]here is much to admire in MacIntyre’s unflinching indictment of liberal modernity.” —The New Criterion

“[MacIntyre’s] diagnosis of what ails recent moral philosophy is brilliant.” —Wilson Quarterly

“MacIntyre is widely informed and his story of developments in the traditions that he identifies is learned, interesting, and notably well-written.” —London Review of Books

From the Publisher

Is there any cause or war worth risking one's life for? How can we determine which actions are vices and which virtues? MacIntyre, professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University, unravels these and other such questions by linking the concept of justice to what he calls practical rationality. He rejects the grab-what-you-can, utilitarian yardstick adopted by moral relativists. Instead, he argues that four wholly different, incompatible ideas of justiceput forth by Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas and Humehave helped shape our modern individualistic world. In his unorthodox view, each person seeks the good through an ongoing dialogue with one of these traditions or within Jewish, non-Western or other historical traditions. This weighty sequel to After Virtue (1981) is certain to stir debate. (February)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this sequel to After Virtue ( LJ 9/15/81), MacIntyre contends that any rational justification of moral judgments must presuppose some particular tradition's conception of rationality. He illustrates his contention by examining four philosophersAristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and Humeto show how their different views about justice and practical rationality derive from different sources. MacIntyre asserts that although a tradition may fail by its own standards, the answer to any question about justice depends upon the historical, social, and cultural situation of the respondent and upon how he sees himself. The book's historical analyses are clear and stimulating, but the arguments for its own thesis are cloudy and ineffectual.Robert Hoffman, York Coll., CUNY

Library Journal

Alasdair MacIntyre has done it again. Here [he] delivers on his promise in After Virtue to develop an account of rationality and justice that is tradition specific. . . . What is so remarkable about MacIntyre’s achievement is his ability to combine close historical analysis with philosophical argumentation while never losing his narrative line. . . . His analysis illumines our situation in an extraordinary manner.

Commonweal