

Alasdair MacIntyre, Plain Persons - How Far Should Plain Persons Be Moral Philosophers?
Mar 6, 2025
18:31
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th and 21st century philosopher and moral theorist, Alasdair MacIntyre's essay "Plain Persons and Moral Theory"
It focuses upon the extent to which what MacIntyre calls "plain persons" need to be or become moral philosophers. He writes:
"We can now say something more not only about how much of a moral
philosopher the plain person has to be, but also about what kind of a
moral philosopher the plain person has to be and how this may differ
from situation to situation. The plain person needs as much of a theory
as will enable her or him to identify what the significant alternatives
are which now confront her or him, and to understand why and how it
was in the past that she or he did or did not make mistakes in acting in
one way rather than another. That need may not be met, not only if the
plain person is insufficiently a theorist, but also if the theory which is
made available to her or him, even if true and adequate qua theory, is
stated in too much abstraction from the specificities and particularities
of her or his historical and autobiographical situation."
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You can find MacIntyre's essay "Plain Persons and Moral Theory" here - https://amzn.to/3KUbXVf