But MacIntyre’s definition of an institution and its relationship with the practice of which it is the ‘bearer’ also points, as we saw above, to the potential for tension between the two. Indeed, on MacIntyre’s analysis, such tension is inherent; it is built into the relationship between them. Institutions must pursue external goods for their own survival, and because institutions and external goods support practices and the attainment of internal goods which is what, ultimately, it should be all about.
