Against the Self-Images of the Age : Essays on Ideology and Philosophy

Alasdair MacIntyre is one of the few professional philosophers whose writings span both technical analytical philosophy and those general moral or intellectual questions that laymen often suppose to be the province of philosophy but that are seldom discussed within its bounds. The unity of this book—made up both of original and previously published pieces—lies in its attempt to expose this dichotomy and to link beliefs and moral theories with philosophical criticism. The author successively criticizes Christianity, Marxism, and psychoanalysis for their failure to express the forms of thought and action that constitute our contemporary social life, and argues that a greater understanding of our complex world will require a more thorough inquiry into the philosophy of the social sciences. Part 1. The End Of Ideology And The End Of The End Of Ideology -- God And The Theologians -- Psychoanalysis: The Future Of An Illusion? -- The Socialism Of R.h. Tawney -- How Not To Write About Lenin -- How Not To Write About Stalin -- Trotsky In Exile -- Marxist Mask And Romantic Face: Lukács On Thomas Mann -- Marxism Of The Will -- Pascal And Marx: On Lucien Goldmann's Hidden God -- Part 2. Philosophy And Ideology: Introduction To Part Two -- What Morality Is Not -- Hume Onis And Ought -- Imperatives, Reasons For Action, And Morals -- Ought -- Some More About Ought -- Pleasure As A Reason For Action -- The Antecedents Of Action -- The Idea Of A Social Science -- Emotion, Behavior And Belief -- Rationality And The Explanation Of Action -- Is A Science Of Comparative Politics Possible? -- Political And Philosophical Epilogue: A View Of The Poverty Of Liberalism By Robert Paul Wolff. Alasdair Macintyre. Reprint Of The Ed. Published By Duckworth, London. Includes Bibliographical References. Cover Half title Title page Copyright Contents Introduction PART ONE 1. The end of ideology and the end of the end of ideology 2. God and the theologians 3. Psychoanalysis: the future of an illusion? 4. The socialism of R. H. Tawney 5. How not to write about Lenin 6. How not to write about Stalin 7. Trotsky in exile 8. Marxist mask and romantic face: Lukacs on Thomas Mann 9. Marxism of the wilI 10. Pascal and Marx: On Lucien Goldmann's Hidden God PART TWO 11. Philosophy and ideology: Introduction to Part Two 12. What morality is not 13. Hume on "is" and "ought" 14. Imperatives, reasons for action, and morals 15. “Ought" 16. Some more about "ought" 17. Pleasure as a reason for action 18. The antecedents of action 19. The idea of a social science 20. Emotion, behavior and belief 21. Rationality and the explanation of action 22. Is a science of comparative politics possible? 23. Political and philosophical epilogue: a view of The Poverty of Liberalism by Robert Paul Wolff