Reason, Tradition, and the Good: MacIntyre's Tradition-Constituted Reason and Frankfurt School Critical Theory

by Jeffery L. Nicholas

In Reason, Tradition, and the Good , Jeffery L. Nicholas addresses the failure of reason in modernity to bring about a just society, a society in which people can attain fulfillment. Developing the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, Nicholas argues that we rely too heavily on a conception of rationality that is divorced from tradition and, therefore, incapable of judging ends. Without the ability to judge ends, we cannot engage in debate about the good life or the proper goods that we as individuals and as a society should pursue. Nicholas claims that the project of enlightenment―defined as the promotion of autonomous reason―failed because it was based on a deformed notion of reason as mere rationality, and that a critical theory of society aimed at human emancipation must turn to substantive reason, a reason constituted by and constitutive of tradition. To find a reason capable of judging ends, Nicholas suggests, we must turn to Alasdair MacIntyre’s Thomistic-Aristotelianism. Substantive reason comprises thinking and acting on the set of standards and beliefs within a particular tradition. It is the impossibility of enlightenment rationality to evaluate ends and the possibility of substantive reason to evaluate ends that makes the one unsuitable and the other suitable for a critical theory of society. Nicholas’s compelling argument, written in accessible language, remains committed to the promise of reason to help individuals achieve a good and just society and a good life. This requires, however, a complete revolution in the way we approach social life.

Genres: Philosophy

264 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2012

About the author

Jeffery L. Nicholas (Ph.D philosophy, University of Kentucky) is an associate professor at Providence College and an international scholar on ethics and politics. He serves as research associate for the Center for Aristotelian Studies in Ethics and Politics at London Metropolitan University and a foreign research associate at Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogotá Colombia. Dr. Nicholas is co-founder of and executive secretary for the International Society for MacIntyrean Enquiry.

He is the author of Reason, Tradition, and the Good: MacIntyre's Tradition Constituted Reason and Frankfurt School Critical Theory (UNDP 2012), as well as numerous articles.

Dr. Nicholas writes on midwifery and birth, the common good, friendship and community, practical reason, and Native American philosophy. He aims to develop a philosophy of integral humanism that synthesizes the philosophical traditions of Alasdair MacIntyre, Frankfurt School Critical Theory, and Feminist Care Ethics.

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I interviewed Dr. Jeffery Nicholas on my podcast Reviving Virtue to discuss this book: https://youtu.be/6FmNcfYmXLY

Reason, Tradition, and the Good: MacIntyre's Tradition-Constituted Reason, and Frankfurt School Critical Theory skillfully combines various ways of defining 'the good life.' It explores how to articulate this concept in our modern, pluralistic society, where conflicting and seemingly incompatible worldviews exist. Nicholas introduces the concept of Substantive Reason and effectively demonstrates how we can incorporate this understanding of reason into modernity to reconcile these divergent worldviews. The conception of reason in each tradition is both shaped by and shapes the conception of the good within that tradition. The idea that reason is not universal and neutral between conceptions of the good is particularly insightful. Stay tuned for a more comprehensive review.