Remembering Alasdair MacIntyre • Hacker News Board

I disagree with MacIntyre about a lot, both in theology and political philosophy, but I respect him for having tried to engage with both Nietzsche and the french philosophers heavily influenced by him as well as sticking by his egalitarian ethics even after the successful revolt of Reagan and the yuppies.

'When asked in 1996 what values he retained from his Marxist days, MacIntyre answered, “I would still like to see every rich person hanged from the nearest lamp post.”'

Re: Remembering Alasdair MacIntyre

#15

Post by NilMostChill » Fri, May 23, 2025, 1:14 PM UTC

NilMostChill wrote: post #10

belter wrote: post #7

[flagged]

Perhaps you're conflating faith with religion. Faith being "confidence, trust or belief in a thing , person or concept, sometimes in the absence of proof" Not to be confused with "blind faith" which is the above but with wilful ignorance or dismissal of proof that contradicts the aspect of the faith. Also not to be confused with "religion" which is the social construct or organisation around a central faith. You can…

To be clear, i'm not religious nor do i have much in the way of faith.

I just don't think faith and philosophy are mutually exclusive.

My impression of organised religion is unfavourable so I'm almost certainly biased in my perspective of religion being the reason faith gets such a bad reputation.

Re: Remembering Alasdair MacIntyre

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Post by oceansky » Fri, May 23, 2025, 1:14 PM UTC

CoastalCoder wrote: post #8

MikeTaylor wrote: post #2

[flagged]

(checks notes on Christian theology) Yup. (Actually, I don't know how promptly they reckon fallen Christians will be revived.)

Actually, most christian denominations believe you go to heaven or hell(or purgatory for catholics) immediately after you die.

But some churches, like Jehovah's witnesses and adventists believe in the "soul sleep", so the soul sleeps until the second coming of Christ, then you are sent to either heaven or hell.

Re: Remembering Alasdair MacIntyre

#17

Post by Boogie_Man » Fri, May 23, 2025, 1:18 PM UTC

I certainly see a through line between Chesterton and After Virtue. As a certified Heretics Enjoyer I'm sold.

Re: Remembering Alasdair MacIntyre

#18

Post by abcd_f » Fri, May 23, 2025, 1:23 PM UTC

cess11 wrote: post #14

I disagree with MacIntyre about a lot, both in theology and political philosophy, but I respect him for having tried to engage with both Nietzsche and the french philosophers heavily influenced by him as well as sticking by his egalitarian ethics even after the successful revolt of Reagan and the yuppies. 'When asked in 1996 what values he retained from his Marxist days, MacIntyre answered, “I would still like to see…

> every rich person hanged from the nearest lamp post

As the joke from the 00s went - in other news, Cisco has become today the first company to close its doors because all its employees cashed out their stock options and quit.

That is, hanging rich persons from the lamp posts is probably not the maxim that would resonate well on the HN :)

Re: Remembering Alasdair MacIntyre

#19

Post by toomuchtodo » Fri, May 23, 2025, 1:25 PM UTC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alasdair_MacIntyre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue

Re: Remembering Alasdair MacIntyre

#20

Post by neel_k » Fri, May 23, 2025, 1:26 PM UTC

gjm11 wrote: post #6

Now I want to know whose work McIntyre described as "the philosophical equivalent of Vogue ".

Richard Rorty, whose humanism and love of democracy MacIntyre despised.

Over the course of his career, MacIntyre went from an extreme left Marxist to an extreme right Thomist, and the only constant was his hatred of liberalism. He really couldn't stand the idea that people could believe in rationalism, feel the moral force of individual rights, or make purpose and meaning for themselves, all without appealing to an authoritarian source of control.