For Modernity, Quality Ying

Macintyre is not only one of representative personages for Communitarianism ideological trend in contemporary Western society, but a famous Aristotlian. The starting point embodied in Macintyre's philosophy ponderings concerns the resolving of the individualism crisis in contemporary Western society—the conflicts, between the morals established on the individualism basis in contemporary society, cannot be dispelled. In order to resolve this crisis, Macintyre employs a historical manner to explore earnestly the historical background and the social environment that produce this crisis, to trace its historical evolution. Through the historical inspection, Macintyre finally draws the conclusion: the outlet to resolve this crisis lies in inheriting or returning the abandoned virtue tradition represented in Aristotle's thought. One of the most fundamental prerequisites for the virtue tradition to keep alive is to establish a kind of community, which has the common interest. The aim showed in Macintyre's political philosophy is to find the outlet for extricating itself from this predicament—the construction of the community and it surely pave the way for the returning of the traditional virtue. Concentrating on this theme, Macintyre launches a macroscopic and historical investigation about the relationship between community and the virtue tradition. On this basis, he builds up the unique theory—Communitarianism.The analyses to these topics were unfolded in three aspects: Ontology, Concept of Values and Politics practice. For ontology, Macintyre defines the"self"in the context of Communitarianism by criticizing the abstract"self"of New Liberalism. He insists on that the self-approval relies on the community, the history and the tradition. Naturally, Macintyre draws two conclusions separately as follows: 1. On Concept of Values, he criticizes the principle, value-neutrality, of universalism of New Liberalism and advocates that good should take precedence over right; 2. On Politics practice, Macintyre promotes such an opinion that the right politics of New Liberalism should be replaced by the public welfare politics. Different from the understanding of New Liberalism to take Community as tool; Macintyre agrees on that Community should be deemed as an ultimate aim. He appeals returning to Aristotle's thought, inquires rational basis for the virtue's existence from the community. On the whole, Macintyre's thought reflects the intense Communitarianism tendency in all three aspects mentioned above. Different from other Communitarianism scholars'theories, the brightest characteristic of Macintyre's is the fact that he combines organically the historical study of thinking with the theoretical study, political philosophy study with moral philosophy study by an excellent skill. Macintyre brings forward his own Communitarianism political view while expressing the disaffection and criticizing New Liberalism theory and it generates a profound influence on modern Eastern and Western societies.