How should we respond when some of our basic beliefs are put into question? What makes a human body distinctively human? Why is truth an important good? These are among the questions explored in this 2006 collection of essays by Alasdair MacIntyre, one of the most creative and influential philosophers working today. Ten of MacIntyre's most influential essays written over almost thirty years are collected together here for the first time. They range over such topics as the issues raised by different types of relativism, what it is about human beings that cannot be understood by the natural sciences, the relationship between the ends of life and the ends of philosophical writing, and the relationship of moral philosophy to contemporary social practice. They will appeal to a wide range of readers across philosophy and especially in moral philosophy, political philosophy, and theology.

‘MacIntyre moved effortlessly from one subject to another without ever sinking into the unpalatable technical jargon that dominates academic writing today, proving that he is both a talented critical exponent and a highly original thinker.'

Source: The Times Literary Supplement

‘… as crisp and coruscating as everything else he writes …'

Source: Prospect