"Explanation and Evaluation of MacIntyre’s Aristotelian Criticism of Kant "

Alasdair MacIntyre is among critics of Liberalism and the Enlightenment movement. He has criticized the moral thought of Kant and Liberalism from an Aristotelian perspective. Kant has emphasized pure practical reasoning for determining moral duties; whereas, in MacIntyre’s view, this kind of reasoning cannot adequately guide the moral agent. MacIntyre, instead, puts emphasis on a character constituted in tradition based on relationships directed towards the human good. This Aristotelian perspective, MacIntyre holds, yields practical knowledge regarding the application of moral rules. In my view, both methods have benefits and limitations, and it is possible to hold a middle position which restricts the moral effect of the community to secondary and exceptional moral rules.