7.6 Failure of the Enlightenment Project

Introduction to Communitarianism

  • Definition: Communitarianism emphasizes the role of community in the life of individuals, suggesting that the group comes before the individual.

  • Contrast with Enlightenment Individualism:

    • Enlightenment thinkers, like Descartes, emphasized the individual as central with concepts like "I think, therefore I am."

    • Communitarianism asserts that one’s identity is defined through the context of their community.

The Ubuntu Philosophy

  • Ubuntu Concept: Originates from an African worldview expressing that "I am because we are."

    • Suggests that self-identity is rooted in communal relationships and social contexts.

    • Communal identity versus individual identity, with community defining individual worth.

Alasdair MacIntyre's Position

  • Closer to Ubuntu: MacIntyre's ideas resonate with the Ubuntu notion, focusing on communal identity over individualism.

  • Critique of Enlightenment Project:

    • Believed the Enlightenment's attempts to justify morality were bound to fail.

    • Morality must be rooted in a shared communal context, not in individualistic frameworks.

The Enlightenment Project

  • Aim: To create a scientific justification for morality that supports individual rights.

    • Philosophers like Rousseau aimed to derive moral principles from an objective understanding of human nature.

  • The Failure of Enlightenment Morality:

    • Enlightenment morality, uh, based on individual human behaviors, can lead to unethical conclusions (e.g., utilitarianism can justify severe moral wrongs).

    • MacIntyre criticizes this derivation as inherently flawed due to ignoring the richer context of human life.

Teleological Ethics and Human Nature

  • Teleological View: Indicates that human nature has a purpose or end (telos).

    • Aristotle's understanding of human development involves striving towards realizing potential within a communal and ethical context.

  • Threefold Scheme of Ethical Development According to Aristotle:

    1. Untutored Human Nature: Humans as they exist originally, often lacking virtue.

    2. Precepts of Ethics: Ethical guidelines meant to shape individuals towards achieving their potential.

    3. Actualized Human Nature: The ideal state of being when individuals embody their virtues.

  • Educational Implications: MacIntyre emphasizes that ethics involves education and transformation of human character.

The Incoherence of Enlightenment Morality

  • Failed Project: MacIntyre argues the Enlightenment thinkers were unaware of the incoherent relationship between inherited moral injunctions and their natural state.

    • This disconnection led moral philosophers to an unsuccessful quest to derive actionable ethical principles from a flawed understanding of human nature.

  • Cultural and Historical Blindness: Enlightenment thinkers did not acknowledge their historical context, exacerbating the challenges of their moral rationale.

Key Communitarian Figures

  • Michael Sandel: Advocates for communal political philosophy.

  • Charles Taylor: Discussed identity’s dependency on community in "Sources of the Self."

  • Richard Rorty: Critiques metaphysical foundations of Enlightenment.

  • Michael Walzer: Focus on social justice and community ethics in "Spheres of Justice."

  • Overall Contribution: These thinkers collectively contribute to the discourse countering Enlightenment individualism and highlighting the importance of community in defining morality and identity.