Contemporary Communitarianism - Moral Foundations of Politics - Lecture 20

Explore contemporary communitarianism and its critique of Enlightenment philosophy in this 49-minute lecture from Yale University's "Moral Foundations of Politics" course. Delve into Alasdair MacIntyre's perspective on the problems arising from Enlightenment thinking, including the rise of emotivism, moral subjectivism, and instrumentalism. Examine the rejection of teleology and its impact on society's value pluralism. Investigate MacIntyre's concepts of practices and virtues as alternatives to Enlightenment-based moral reasoning. Compare communitarian ideas with other anti-Enlightenment schools of thought, and consider their implications for modern political and ethical discourse.

Syllabus

- Chapter 1. Introduction: Alasdair MacIntyre and Contemporary Communitarianism
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- Chapter 2. Alasdair MacIntyre and Other Anti-enlightenment Thinkers
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- Chapter 3. A Closer Look at MacIntyre's Book
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- Chapter 4. Emotivism: From Subjective Certainty to Relativist Morality
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- Chapter 5. Instrumentalism Has Triumphed: A Separation between Means and Ends
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- Chapter 6. Emotivism and the Rejection of Teleology
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- Chapter 7. Some Definitions: Practice and Virtue
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