I found an interesting approach to MacIntyre’s essay was his theory that we are all involved in writing a narrative history. That is to say, we are all stories: we tell stories and our lives are stories. According to MacIntyre, “stories are lived before they are told--except in the case of fiction.” MacIntyre believes that stories are in fact lived, while others, such as Louis O. Mink, believe that stories are only told and not lived, and there are no beginnings, middles and ends just meetings. To MacIntyre, our lives and stories are engrafted into other lives and stories, therefore making us all connected.
Another connection we have and have always had as humans is a common goal—to live the good life. It is explained that the “good life” would not be defined in the exact way through the ages, locations or professions; the “good life” sought after by a priest in 14th century Rome would not be the same as the “good life” sought after by a present day American rock star. However, it isn’t just the different individual social circumstances which determine the good life, but also the social identity.
The social identity is determined by our community. We are set within a community or family since the day we are born. This community makes us form relationships; we are someone else’s mother or someone else’s brother; we are part of this tribe or that clan; we are part of that nation. Therefore, the good life that has always been sought after is inherited from the past: what was moral for past members of the community becomes inherited, and now what is considered good for one person has to be good for those who inhabit the certain identity. This is tradition. Tradition doesn’t bog us down, but gives us context.
To MacIntyre, virtues come from examining what makes the good life. These virtues are narratives displayed in a life story. He speaks of learning the virtues to be like learning a craft; we find people such as grandparents to show us the craft of these virtues, and become in an apprentice-like position to these guardians that are being looked up to. These practices form a story and create an establishment in other stories. In this way, also, traditions can and will become formed.
To me, I believe MacIntyre wrote this essay, as well as the whole of After Virtue, to criticize our morals in the modern world. One of his main criticisms is that our modern ethical world is defragmented and we, as a modern democracy, have no ethical tradition. I would agree with that statement that MacIntyre was an easier read compared to other philosophers; however, much of his work refers to philosophers who have ideas and concepts that I am not aware of, therefore making the reading process slower and less enjoyable than usual.
