Against the Self-Images of the Age: Essays on Ideology and Philosophy

by Alasdair MacIntyre

Alasdair MacIntyre is one of the few professional philosophers whose writings span both technical analytical philosophy and those general moral or intellectual questions that laymen often suppose to be the province of philosophy but that are seldom discussed within its bounds. The unity of this book―made up both of original and previously published pieces―lies in its attempt to expose this dichotomy and to link beliefs and moral theories with philosophical criticism. The author successively criticizes Christianity, Marxism, and psychoanalysis for their failure to express the forms of thought and action that constitute our contemporary social life, and argues that a greater understanding of our complex world will require a more thorough inquiry into the philosophy of the social sciences.

Genres: Philosophy, Essays, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 1978

About the author

Alasdair Chalmers MacIntyre was a British-American philosopher who contributed to moral and political philosophy as well as history of philosophy and theology. MacIntyre's After Virtue (1981) is one of the most important works of Anglophone moral and political philosophy in the 20th century. He was senior research fellow at the Centre for Contemporary Aristotelian Studies in Ethics and Politics (CASEP) at London Metropolitan University, emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, and permanent senior distinguished research fellow at the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. During his lengthy academic career, he also taught at Brandeis University, Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and Boston University.

Reviews

[Russell Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection MacIntyre's essays before After Virtue. The essays are of varied quality. The first third or so of the book deals with MacIntyre's engagements with Marxism and the concept of ideology. MacIntyre evinces little patience with certain types of Marxism, the end-of-ideology thesis, or liberal or neo-orthodox theology. The second two-thirds of the book deal primarily with issues in then-contemporary (i.e. pre-1971) moral philosophy. His essays on the relationship between "is" and "ought," practical rationality, and the relationship between causes of movement and reasons for action were particularly helpful for me.

[Zakir · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a pretty good book if you’re already interested in macintyre and want to see how his thought changed over time, but if you want the fully developed theory go to After Virtue. still, there’s a lot of great essays in here, many of which argue against weak versions of positions that macintyre takes in AV, or otherwise complicate his later arguments. the popular-facing essays in part one set up themes that get more philosophical treatment in part two. i suppose the only really important flaw is that it never coalesces around the treatment of ideology that is ostensibly the reason for the book’s existence.