In this episode, Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, and Brad East are joined by political theorist Jason Blakely to explore the life, work, and legacy of Alasdair MacIntyre. Best known for After Virtue, MacIntyre diagnosed the deep moral confusion of modernity and called for a return to virtue, tradition, and narrative. The conversation traces his journey from Marxism to Thomism, unpacks his critique of Enlightenment liberalism, and considers how his thought challenges both the postliberal right and progressive deconstruction. Along the way, the hosts reflect on what it means to form moral communities in a world of fragmented ethics.

Chapters:

00:00 Beyond Mere Technocratic Pragmatism

02:01 Life, Work, and Legacy of Alisdair MacIntyre

07:00 After Virtue

09:53 Nuking the Enlightenment

14:20 Practice vs. Theory

16:55 In the Aristotelian Weeds

19:47 Objectivity

24:26 Where Is Sin?

28:44 Public Religion

32:51 Narrate Like the Wind!

37:50 The Religious Option

39:25 Competing Narratives

44:45 Post-Liberalism and the Benedict Option

51:03 How to Get Started

After 'After Virtue' with Jason Blakely

Mere Fidelity