Understanding Modernity and Its Moral Implications

Modernity is a complex construct, embedded with various traditions and institutional forms like the nation-state and capitalism. Philosophers have long debated whether it is emancipatory or fosters another form of oppression. The central question remains: what kind of moral life does it enable, and what are its inherent contradictions?

Alasdair MacIntyre: A Diagnostic of Modernity

• Alasdair MacIntyre, a prominent 20th-century thinker, offers insightful critiques on modernity, surpassing contemporaries such as Habermas, Taylor, and Foucault.
• His works challenge the self-images of the modern age, refusing to conform to philosophical trends.
• MacIntyre's methodology often involves questioning underlying presuppositions of philosophical claims.
• His seminal work, After Virtue (1981), highlights the pathologies of modern political life and moral theory.

The Theory of Emotivism

• Emotivism suggests that moral claims are merely expressions of personal preferences, leading to endless conflicts without rational bases for justification.
• The distinction between manipulation and rational persuasion blurs, making social life manipulative at its core.
• Political life is marked by perpetual indignation and the inability to resolve arguments through rational discourse.

Liberalism and Its Limitations

• Liberalism, often seen as a solution to the fragmented values of modernity, faces several challenges:
  • Rights become fictions without shared rational justification, severing the link between individual rights and communal good.
  • As a meta-tradition, liberalism stands above all traditions but lacks a framework for securing shared societal goods.

The Dominant Social Roles in Modernity

• MacIntyre identifies three key social roles: the aesthete, the therapist, and the manager, reflecting modern needs for self-fashioning, emotional management, and societal preference ordering.
• He critiques managerialism and expertise, arguing these claim forms of social knowledge that are inherently flawed.

The Incoherence of Modern Ideologies

• Despite criticisms of liberalism, MacIntyre rejected authoritarianism and remained skeptical of ideologies claiming to transcend modern pathologies.
• Modern ideologies, including Marxism and conservatism, fail to escape the managerial frame of modernity.

The Importance of Narrative in Moral and Scientific Life

• MacIntyre emphasized that humans are storytelling beings, and narrative plays a critical role in moral and scientific inquiry.
• His analysis of how concepts like rationality have histories and how traditions evolve is unmatched.
• The opening of After Virtue depicts a society using remnants of language disconnected from their original practices, reflecting the state of modern traditions.

MacIntyre's philosophical insights warn against cultural pessimism, suggesting it is a luxury that must be abandoned in challenging times.