Alasdair MacIntyre is one of the most influential and widely read moral philosophers of the last three or four decades. This remarkably erudite and comprehensive book is an indispensable guide for anyone who has a serious interest in twentieth-century moral and political philosophy. Richard Kraut, author of The Quality of Life
The book is a sympathetic treatment of the ideas that have consistently run through MacIntyres complicated career, but it doesnt hesitate to pose to MacIntyre tough-minded intellectual challenges. It is a genuine philosophical dialogue between two serious thinkers. Ronald Beiner, author of Dangerous Minds
"Provides a penetrating overview of the ideas of 20th-century moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre. . . . Perreau-Saussine proves a talented historian of ideas, cogently elucidating how such diverse traditions as Marxism, Catholicism, and Aristotelianism come together in MacIntyres writings." Publishers Weekly
"[The book's] treatment of MacIntyres religious struggles and his journey to the Catholic Church is perhaps its strongest part and will be a revelation to anyone accustomed to a more narrowly philosophical approach to MacIntyres ideas." Current
"MacIntyre stands in the modern intellectual landscape as one of traditions great champions, but he was never a particularly happy warrior, even though he had a great deal to say about what makes men happy. Anyone who is intrigued by these puzzles will find this book of considerable interest." Law & Liberty
"Alasdair MacIntyre: An Intellectual Biography by Emile Perreau-Saussine seeks to defend the Scottish philosophers standing as one of the most profound theorists of capitalist modernity on either side of the Atlantic. . . . [A]long the way we do learn a great deal about MacIntyres life and how it informed his unique blend of Marxist-Catholic Scholasticism." Jacobin
"Alasdair MacIntyre is a moral philosopher of the first rank. . . . May our contemporaries be receptive to the wisdom and moderation that informs this splendid and timely book." Claremont Review of Books
"On the whole, this is a[n] . . . insightful essay in intellectual history. Or rather, it is three essays, dealing respectively with MacIntyres politics, philosophy, and theology. The first covers MacIntyres early involvement with the British New Left. . . . A second chapter deals with the philosophy of action and ethics. . . . A last chapter, on theology, sees Perreau-Saussine return to safer ground." First Things
"Perreau-Saussine makes a valuable contribution for those looking to understand the context and nature of Alasdair MacIntyres thought. He strikes a balance by pulling together biographical details, intellectual influences, and a variety of publications to craft a portrait of one of the twentieth centurys most influential philosophers." The University Bookman
"[F]or those who would like to consider the merits and demerits of liberal democracy in a judicious way, Emile Perreau-Saussines critical study of one of antiliberalisms eminence grise is now available. It is both a specimen and a model of the sort of political philosophizing sorely needed in our trying times." Law & Liberty
Alasdair MacIntyre: An Intellectual Biography, by the philosopher Emile Perreau-Saussine, is less an academic study than an essay on MacIntyrean themes. . . Its engaging and accessible. The Nation
"The real value of Perreau-Saussines biography lies less in its exposition of MacIntyres intellectual development than in its extended clarification of what is at stake in the questions MacIntyre explores. . . . For Perreau-Saussine, political progress will come when we better navigate these tensions within the liberal order, not when we seek to resolve them entirely outside it. Whether his eminent case proves his point is worth our careful reflection." The Hedgehog Review
"In this book, Perreau-Saussine traces the complex intellectual development of Scottish American philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre (b. 1924) with a view to showing the underlying unity of his lifes work. ...Recommended." Choice
Emile Perreau-Saussine has produced an interesting and provocative interpretation of Alasdair MacIntyre and Nathan Pinkoskis translation has provided the English-speaking world access to the work....Any university library with a serious politics, philosophy, or theology program should procure a copy. The American Journal of Jurisprudence
"The scholarship behind the bookthe volume of Anglophone philosophy Perreau-Saussine had to absorb, inside and outside MacIntyres corpusis hugely impressive. And we owe Pinkoski a debt for doing the unglamorous kind of work Perreau-Saussine himself did first." Commonweal