Arrested Development and Philosophy_ They've Made a Huge Mistake - Kristopher G. Phillips [89]
In 1981, MacIntyre published a book that helped revive the study of character-based ethics in the English-speaking world, titled After Virtue. Exploring how the notion of virtue could survive the criticisms that many older theories (such as Aristotle’s and Hume’s) had received, he wrote,
When Aristotle speaks of excellence in human activity, he sometimes though not always, refers to some well-defined human practice: flute-playing, or war, or geometry. I am going to suggest that this notion of a particular type of practice . . . is crucial to the whole enterprise of identifying a core concept of the virtues.10
MacIntyre has a robust definition of practice: A practice is a complex, cooperative enterprise that is established socially and promotes human welfare by achieving particular goods toward which only it could aim (C’mon!). For instance, pulling a coin out of White Power Bill’s “dirty ear” isn’t a practice under MacIntyre’s view because it is a singular act whose end (which is presumably entertainment, not getting stabbed) could be attained by any number of other acts. Magic, on the other hand, would be considered a practice because it is an endeavor that requires cooperation among a community (such as The Magician’s Alliance) and requires a certain level of commitment both in order to become an initiate and to continue its traditions. Though we may deem folks like Tony Wonder and the other members of Gob’s former alliance ridiculous, their commitment to the institution of magic itself makes them, and not Gob, good magicians. They are “practitioners”; Gob isn’t.
Of course, no one needs the help of a philosopher to determine why Gob is a bad magician. What we are really concerned with is whether this says anything about his moral status. MacIntyre would say it does. He claims “character” is something like a “unity” in a human life that emerges when the various practices one is involved in, begin to cohere. Kupperman agrees and calls this type of human life an “integrated” one, and he sees this as being the source of someone’s moral integrity. In his words,
Sense of self is crucial to happiness, the degree of which, in turn, makes a major contribution to a good life. Beyond this, a sense of life as meaningful requires ongoing commitments or other forms of connection among the stages of life, which to be maintained in difficult situations call for a strong character.11
People who develop this kind of unity in their lives do so by distilling out what is common among the commitments they have toward individual practices. They give their life a unified meaning, and can tell a single “story” about themselves. This, according to MacIntyre and Kupperman, is where the definition of character resides—in one’s “story” (or “narrative”). When we are able to tell such a story, we gain insight into our lives. We are able to apply our knowledge both practically and liberally, and we call this insight and this ability “wisdom.”
Of course, the story that Gob would tell of himself doesn’t jibe with the narrative we’re all familiar with. Consider what happens when Michael confronts Gob about his indiscretions:
Michael: Gob, instead of always coming to me looking for money, saying, “I’ve made a huge mistake,” you can bail yourself out next time.
Gob: [Laughs nervously] I’ve never admitted to a mistake. What would I have made a mistake about? [“The One Where Michael Leaves”]
Because Gob refuses to truly own up to his mistakes, he is unable to find a unity in his life that could render it meaningful. Instead, he coasts aimlessly through life on his Segway, bouncing from one questionable pursuit to the next (stripping with the Hot Cops, performing with Franklin, pimping