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Articles

The Meaning of a Good Life

Following the sad news of Alasdair MacIntyre’s death recently, AmirAli Maleki argues that he and Miskawayh al-Razi shared a similarly Aristotelian vision of the way to live.

What does it mean to live well? Although separated by centuries and cultures, Alasdair MacIntyre (1929-2025) and Miskawayh al-Razi (c.932-1030) offer remarkably convergent perspectives on the nature of the good life. For both MacIntyre and Miskawayh – two thinkers deeply rooted in the Aristotelian tradition – living well is not simply about personal satisfaction or material success. Rather, it’s about the cultivation of virtue and the formation of moral character through the embedding of one’s life within a community that nurtures ethical flourishing. Both thinkers reject the individualism of modern moral philosophy and emphasize that virtue and human flourishing are inherently social pursuits.

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