MacIntyre on Work as a Practice

This chapter explores Alasdair MacIntyre’s moral philosophy with a focus on its implications for understanding the nature and value of productive work. It centers on two key aspects of MacIntyre’s thought: the concept of practices and his account of practical reason. Drawing on this framework I examine how productive work, under certain conditions, can be conducive to moral development, especially when workers have discretion over their tasks and participate in shared deliberation about the ends of their labor. Finally, the chapter reflects on MacIntyre’s broader critique of managerial authority and the dominance of preference satisfaction in economic reasoning, concluding with an assessment of the challenges and prospects for cultivating meaningful work within contemporary economic structures.