'Depressing condition': This philosopher explains deep affinity for 'morally repellent' Trump

On May 21, philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre passed away in South Bend, Indiana at the age of 96. The Glasgow, Scotland native is remembered for his views on moral and political philosophy as well as theology, and his 1981 book "After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory" has been studied on many college campuses.

In a think piece published by The Atlantic on July 8, conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks argues that MacIntyre's ideas do a lot to explain the adoration that President Donald Trump's hardcore supporters feel for him.

"There's a question that's been bugging me for nearly a decade," Brooks writes. "How is it that half of America looks at Donald Trump and doesn't find him morally repellent? He lies, cheats, steals, betrays, and behaves cruelly and corruptly, and more than 70 million Americans find him, at the very least, morally acceptable. Some even see him as heroic, admirable, and wonderful. What has brought us to this state of moral numbness?"

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According to Brooks, the "thinking of…. great moral philosopher" MacIntyre explains "how western culture evolved to the point where millions of us — and not just Republicans and Trump supporters — have been left unable to make basic moral judgments."

MacIntyre, according to Brooks, "was a radical, both of the left and the right" who "wanted us to return to the kind of coherent, pre-capitalist moral communities that existed before the Enlightenment project failed."

"Recovering from the moral scourge of Trumpism means restoring the vocabulary that people can use to talk coherently about their moral lives, and distinguish a person with character from a person without it," Brooks argues. "We don't need to entirely reject the Enlightenment project, but we probably need to recalibrate the culture so that people are more willing to sacrifice some freedom of autonomy for the sake of the larger community. We need to offer the coming generations an education in morals as rigorous as their technical and career education."

Brooks continues, "As the ancients understood, this involves the formation of the heart and the will as much as the formation of the rational mind. These are the kinds of humanistic endeavors that MacIntyre devoted himself to, and they are part of the legacy he leaves behind.

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David Brooks' full article for The Atlantic is available at this link (subscription required).