The Importance Of Virtue By Alasdair Macintyre

In After Virtue, Alasdair MacIntyre maintains that the lack of virtues such as truthfulness, justice, courage, and relevant intellectual virtues corrupts moral traditions as well as institutions and practices. These derive their life from the traditions of which they are the contemporary embodiments. However in order to recognize this one must also recognize that MacIntyre wrote that “the existence of an additional virtue, one whose importance is perhaps most obvious when it is least present, the virtue of having an accurate sense of traditions to which one belongs or which confront me. This virtue is not to be compared and or confused with any form of conservative antiquarianism” (MacIntyre, 223). The purpose of this essay is to explain the

Traditionalism is the upholding or maintenance of tradition, especially to resist change. The theory of traditionalism is a theory that all moral and religious truth comes from divine revelation passed on through traditions. In regards to morality, there are principles that concern the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. It is a particular system of values and principles that create a foundation for a code of conduct, especially one held by a specified person or community. So in regards to moral tradition it means that principles that concern the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior comes from revelation that has been passes on through traditions. When an individual lives in a moral tradition, they base their morality on the traditions that have been established in particular community. According to MacIntyre however, he believes that a moral tradition should become more based on Aristotelian virtue ethics. Modern virtue ethics gets its inspiration from the understanting of Aristotelian view of virtue and character. In order to achieve this goal according to MacIntyre, one must uphold an Aristotelian character which is primarily about a state of being. For example, the virtue of kindness deals with the correct arrangements of inner states and emotion

MacIntyre acknowledges historical accounts of virtue and analyzes how they have become incompatible with theories of virtue and he concludes that these contrasting views are attributable to various practices that create differing conceptions of virtues and the virtues that are behind moral traditions. MacIntyre has argued for a radical change in the way that morality is viewed in regards to tradition. Whether it is a call for change the emphasis obligations, there is a return to a general comprehension of ethics or a tradition that unifies the practices that generate virtues. In the views of MacIntyre, he believes that if an individual follows tradition, then are achieving moral progress. Since MacIntyre upholds the view of an Aristotelian, if an individual upholds tradition in virtue ethics they are making moral progress. To be a virtuous person, one must fulfill the tasks of a virtuous person. It is important to acknowledge that a moral character particularly one who upholds a living moral tradition develops over a period of time. People are born with different natural tendencies; some may be positive tendencies such as friendliness and some may be negative tendencies such as jealousy. These tendencies are and can be encouraged and grow or thwart because of the influences an individual may exposed to when growing up. There are factors that play a vital role in this