Whose Justice? Which Rationality? - by Alasdair MacIntyre (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Whose Justice? Which Rationality?, the sequel to After Virtue, is a persuasive argument of there not being rationality that is not the rationality of some tradition. MacIntyre examines the problems presented by the existence of rival traditions of inquiry in the cases of four major philosophers: Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and Hume.

Review Quotes

"Whose Justice? Which Rationality? is a work of signal importance ... [it] is usually convincing, always provocative, and has wide-reaching implications for the way we think about our historical moment." --Commentary

"Alasdair MacIntyre has done it again. . . . [He] delivers on his promise in After Virtue to develop an account of rationality and justice that is tradition specific. It is a long and complex book, but will repay any reader's labors. In this book MacIntyre tells the story of four traditions: the Aristotelian, the Augustinian, the Scottish, and the rise of the liberal tradition. His narrative shows the interaction of these in a manner that illumines our current intellectual and moral context. . . ." --Commonweal

"It is a step in the right direction, not of returning to some Catholic version of fundamentalist bibliotary, but of reading a Christian theologian and philosopher whose immense wisdom repays careful study by Christians and non-Christians alike." --New Oxford Review

"[MacIntyre's] diagnosis of what ails recent moral philosophy is brilliant." --Wilson Quarterly

"MacIntyre is widely informed and his story of developments in the traditions that he identifies is learned, interesting, and notably well-written." --London Review of Books

"MacIntyre's rich historical exposition displays all the erudition and philosophical subtlety that his readers have come to expect from his work. . . . [T]here is much to admire in MacIntyre's unflinching indictment of liberal modernity." --The New Criterion

About the Author

Alasdair MacIntyre (1929-2025) was permanent senior distinguished research fellow at the de Nicola Center of Ethics and Culture and the Rev. John A. O'Brien senior research professor of philosophy emeritus at the University of Notre Dame. He authored numerous books over the course of his career, including After Virtue, A Short History of Ethics, and Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry, all published by the University of Notre Dame Press.