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The MacIntyre Reader

ISBN: 978-0-745-61974-3

October 1998

Polity

312 pages

Description
Alasdair MacIntyre is one of the most controversial philosophers and social theorists of our time. He opposes liberalism and postmodernism with the teleological arguments of an updated Thomistic Aristotelianism. It is this tradition, he claims, which presents the best theory so far about the nature of rationality, morality and politics.

This is the first Reader of MacIntyre's work. It includes extracts from and synopses of two famous books from the 1980s, After Virtue and Whose Justice? Which Rationality?, as well as the whole of several shorter works (one published for the first time in English) and two interviews. Taken together, these constitute not only a representative collection of his work but also the most powerful and accessible presentation of his arguments yet available.

The Reader also includes a summary, by the editor, of the development of MacIntyre's central ideas, and an extensive guide to further reading. Students will find the book a useful guide to MacIntyre's case against both capitalist institutions and academic orthodoxies.

About the Author
Kelvin Knight is Senior Lecturer in Politics at London Metropolitan
University.
Features
  • This is the first comprehensive Reader of MacIntyre's work
  • Offers a comprehensive overview of and an introduction to the key works of one of the most controversial thinkers today
  • Includes extracts from MacIntyre's two famous books, After Virtue and Whose Justice? Whose Rationality? as well as extracts from his other works which provide an accessible presentation of his theories and arguments
  • The Editor has written a very helpful introduction which lays out the main themes and debates in MacIntyre's work.