MacIntyre’s After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory Essay (Book Review)

Alasdair MacIntyre, as one of the prominent scholars engaged in the discussion of virtues and morality as a whole, presents his unique perspective on the subject. His views are distinguished by particular attention to the current state of society in this respect and the comparison of secularism and religion.¹ Therefore, the conflicting norms of these two structures contributing to the lack of common rules for all citizens are comprehensively provided.

However, this information not only serves as a theoretical basis for further analysis but also implies the need for reformation of principal societal organizations. Such institutional change seems a challenging task for the present-day entities due to the absence of clarity in moral considerations. Nevertheless, it is possible in the case if the efforts of a secular state and the religious community are combined for finding a compromise between the governmental needs and the Biblical wisdom.

The State of Virtue, as per Alastair MacIntyre

The present-day perceptions of virtue as applied to society in all its aspects are a set of beliefs of its members varying depending on their preferences of unification or separation. According to MacIntyre, they are formed under the influence of these opposing forces or, more specifically, religion and the government.² The former’s morality is presented by the notions of right and wrong stemming from the Christian wisdom and based on the comprehensive experience of humanity.³ It covers all the essential areas of societal life, thereby providing benefits for people relying on these principles. In turn, the latter’s concepts mostly include logic and reason, which clash with the ideas mentioned above when complemented by the pursuit of justice.⁴ In this way, these norms are deemed to be the two extremes, which define the citizens’ confusion in assessing their actions when participating in different activities. From this standpoint, the state of virtue in modern society, as per MacIntyre, reflects the conflict between the entities specified above.

Prospects of Reforming Political Institutions

The situation regarding the virtuousness of modern political organizations is unstable and, therefore, can be readjusted in compliance with the needs of their members. However, the prospects concerning the potential change remain pessimistic without the inclusion of guiding components in this field. The previously adopted concepts, reason and logic, are insufficient for addressing such challenges as the moral hazard problems deriving from the increasing risks for the corresponding entities due to their rapid development.⁵ In addition, they are less efficient in terms of digitalization of politics and the establishment of the image of “good” and “bad” citizens in social media without Christian morality.⁶ It states that it is vital to “reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God” to promote virtues.⁷ Considering these facts, it is reasonable to conclude on the successful reformation of politics with respect to the needs of time only if the existing regulations are confirmed by the traditional approach.

Prospects of Reforming Economic Institutions

The reformation of the moral underpinning of modern institutions is critical not only for politics but also for economies of the world countries. The necessity for its establishment in this field for increasing the effectiveness of this process is explained by the fact that tax practices are significantly dependent on the evolving attitude towards accepted virtues. Their interrelation is reflected by the orientation of both in-house and public professionals in elaborating strategies in order to meet the population’s essential needs.⁸ Moreover, the welfare of the largest world economies is connected to the promotion of such values as work, collaboration, inclusion, equality, individual responsibility, and ethics in corresponding organizations.⁹ Nevertheless, in order to incorporate them into regular practices, the use of Christian virtues is required. As it was written in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”¹⁰ Hence, the inclusion of this principle in the area alongside governmental regulations will increase the probability of a positive outcome of the initiatives.

Prospects of Reforming Cultural Institutions

The final field, which should be subject to the prospective reformation in terms of applicable virtues, is culture, and its organizations are linked to the commonly accepted morality through continuously evolving cooperation. Its patterns imply the significance of the notions of “good” and “bad” in the societal context. Indeed, this type of entity is regulated through the concepts of honesty and dishonesty and, what is more important, depends on the use of specific rules.¹¹ The researchers confirmed that they are more likely to be followed by religious citizens rather than their atheistic counterparts.¹² Hence, the former’s familiarity with the proper attitude towards others ensures their favorable perception of norms promoting prosperity for all people. These results correlate with the idea from Romans 2:11, which is: “For God does not show favoritism.”¹³ Thus, the cooperation and, subsequently, positive reformation can be facilitated through the introduction of Christian virtues.

Conclusion

To summarize, MacIntyre presents the state of virtue in modern society in a negative light since it is insufficiently reinforced by religious wisdom and excessively relies on logic and reason. The analysis of political, economic, and cultural organizations confirmed this stance with the use of the works of other scholars. Therefore, the reformation of the specified entities under the common morality stemming from Christian teachings is an optimal way to ensure its efficiency.

References

Ashraf, Badar Nadeem. “Political Institutions and Bank Risk-Taking Behavior.” Journal of Financial Stability 29 (2017): 13-35. Web.

Bible Study Tools. “Jeremiah 26:13.” n.d. Web.

Bible Study Tools. “Philippians 4:19.” n.d. Web.

Bible Study Tools. “Romans 2:11.” n.d. Web.

MacIntyre, Alasdair. After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2007.

Möllers, Norma. “Making Digital Territory: Cybersecurity, Techno-nationalism, and the Moral Boundaries of the State.”Science, Technology, & Human Values 46, no. 1 (2021): 112-138. Web.

Purzycki, Benjamin Grant, Anne C. Pisor, Coren Apicella, Quentin Atkinson, Emma Cohen, Joseph Henrich, Richard McElreath, et al. “The Cognitive and Cultural Foundations of Moral Behavior.” Evolution and Human Behavior 39, no. 5 (2018): 490-501. Web.

Radcliffe, Vaughan S., Crawford Spence, Mitchell Stein, and Brett Wilkinson. “Professional Repositioning During Times of Institutional Change: The Case of Tax Practitioners and Changing Moral Boundaries.” Accounting, Organizations and Society 66 (2018): 45-59. Web.

Taylor-Gooby, Peter, Bjørn Hvinden, Steffen Mau, Benjamin Leruth, Mi Ah Schoyen, and Adrienn Gyory. “Moral Economies of the Welfare State: A Qualitative Comparative Study.”Acta Sociologica 62, no. 2 (2019): 119-134. Web.

Footnotes

1. Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2007), 29.
2. MacIntyre, After Virtue, 29.
3. MacIntyre, 39.
4. MacIntyre, 88-89.
5. Badar Nadeem Ashraf, “Political Institutions and Bank Risk-Taking Behavior,” Journal of Financial Stability 29 (2017): 32. Web.
6. Norma Möllers, “Making Digital Territory: Cybersecurity, Techno-nationalism, and the Moral Boundaries of the State,” Science, Technology, & Human Values 46, no. 1 (2021): 132. Web.
7. Bible Study Tools, “Jeremiah 26:13,” n.d. Web.
8. Vaughan S. Radcliffe, Crawford Spence, Mitchell Stein, and Brett Wilkinson, “Professional Repositioning During Times of Institutional Change: The Case of Tax Practitioners and Changing Moral Boundaries,” Accounting, Organizations and Society 66 (2018): 52. Web.
9. Peter Taylor-Gooby, Bjørn Hvinden, Steffen Mau, Benjamin Leruth, Mi Ah Schoyen, and Adrienn Gyory, “Moral Economies of the Welfare State: A Qualitative Comparative Study,” Acta Sociologica 62, no. 2 (2019): 132. Web.
10. Bible Study Tools, “Philippians 4:19,”n.d. Web.
11. Benjamin Grant Purzycki, Anne C. Pisor, Coren Apicella, Quentin Atkinson, Emma Cohen, Joseph Henrich, Richard McElreath, et al., “The Cognitive and Cultural Foundations of Moral Behavior,” Evolution and Human Behavior 39, no. 5 (2018): 499. Web.
12. Purzycki, Pisor, Apicella, Atkinson, Cohen, Henrich, McElreath, et al., “The Cognitive and Cultural Foundations of Moral Behavior,” 497.
13. Bible Study Tools, “Romans 2:11,”n.d. Web.