One of the facts that tempts people towards moral relativism is that different societies and cultures sometimes think so differently about the question, “how should I live?” Even professional philosophers often disagree about important questions. So why think there are moral truths? Wouldn’t it make most sense to think that such truths don’t exist at all? Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre urges that this is too quick a conclusion to draw from the reality of moral disagreement.
But understanding why this is so will require a history of some of our major moral concepts as they were understood in the Enlightenment and, before this, by ancient Greek and Medieval philosophers. Ultimately, MacIntyre argues, they crucial way out of the impasse–of seemingly interminable disagreement–is to return to something like the classical accounts of virtue we find in the Greeks.
Meets 6:15 – 7:30pm, Tuesday evenings: 3/1, 3/8, 3/22, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12
For those who will be joining, contact Dr. Saenz for further information and a copy of the book @ vs15@rice.edu
“After Virtue is a striking work. It is clearly written and readable. The nonprofessional will find MacIntyre perspicuous and lively. He stands within the best modern traditions of writing on such matters.” ―New York Review of Books
“MacIntyre’s arguments deserve to be taken seriously by anybody who thinks that the mere acceptance of pluralism is not the same thing as democracy, who worries about politicians wishing to give opinions about everything under the sun, and who stops to think about how important Aristotelian ethics have been for centuries.” ―The Economist
