The Tasks of Philosophy: Selected Essays

Alasdair MacIntyre

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511819797

How should we respond when some of our basic beliefs are put into question? What makes a human body distinctively human? Why is truth an important good? These are among the questions explored in this 2006 collection of essays by Alasdair MacIntyre, one of the most creative and influential philosophers working today. Ten of MacIntyre's most influential essays written over almost thirty years are collected together here for the first time. They range over such topics as the issues raised by different types of relativism, what it is about human beings that cannot be understood by the natural sciences, the relationship between the ends of life and the ends of philosophical writing, and the relationship of moral philosophy to contemporary social practice. They will appeal to a wide range of readers across philosophy and especially in moral philosophy, political philosophy, and theology.

‘MacIntyre moved effortlessly from one subject to another without ever sinking into the unpalatable technical jargon that dominates academic writing today, proving that he is both a talented critical exponent and a highly original thinker.'

Source: The Times Literary Supplement

‘… as crisp and coruscating as everything else he writes …'

Source: Prospect

- Aa Reduce text
- Aa Enlarge text

View selected items
Save to my bookmarks
Export citations
Download PDF (zip)
Save to Kindle
Save to Dropbox
Save to Google Drive
Save content to
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to .

To save content items to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Please be advised that item(s) you selected are not available.
You are about to save
Your Kindle email address

Please provide your Kindle email.

@free.kindle.com @kindle.com (service fees apply)

By using this service, you agree that you will only keep content for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Total number of HTML views: 0

Total number of PDF views: 0 *

Loading metrics...

Total views: 0 *

Loading metrics...

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

Usage data cannot currently be displayed.

Why this information is here

This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

Accessibility Information

Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this book is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.

The Tasks of Philosophy

Selected Essays

This Book has been cited by the following publications. This list is generated based on data provided by Crossref.

Book description

Reviews

Refine List

Actions for selected content:

Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-iv

Contents
pp v-vi

Preface
pp vii-xiii

Acknowledgments
pp xiv-xiv

PART I - DEFINING A PHILOSOPHICAL STANCE
pp 1-2

1 - Epistemological crises, dramatic narrative, and the philosophy of science
pp 3-23

2 - Colors, cultures, and practices
pp 24-51

3 - Moral relativism, truth, and justification
pp 52-73

4 - Hegel on faces and skulls
pp 74-85

5 - What is a human body?
pp 86-103

6 - Moral philosophy and contemporary social practice: what holds them apart?
pp 104-122

PART II - THE ENDS OF PHILOSOPHICAL ENQUIRY
pp 123-124

7 - The ends of life, the ends of philosophical writing
pp 125-142

8 - First principles, final ends, and contemporary philosophical issues
pp 143-178

9 - Philosophy recalled to its tasks: a Thomistic reading of Fides et Ratio
pp 179-196

10 - Truth as a good: a reflection on Fides et Ratio
pp 197-215

Index
pp 216-230

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Full text views

Book summary page views

Accessibility standard: Unknown

Why this information is here

Accessibility Information

The Tasks of Philosophy

Selected Essays

Book description

Reviews

Refine List

Actions for selected content:

Save Search

Contents

Metrics

Altmetric attention score

Full text views

Book summary page views

Accessibility standard: Unknown

Why this information is here

Accessibility Information