'Community' History - Aristotle and Alistair MacIntyre

Alistair MacIntyre a 'revolutionary Aristotelian' and writer of the philosophical and ethically inspired book 'After Virtue' has a negative view on modern society. He relates today's society with the dark ages of the end of the Roman Empire. He states that although "the barbarians are no longer waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for some time." He blames social degradation on governance and believes that a single and united conception of 'good' (an Aristotelian idea) is what is required in order to revert society back to a civilised state of affairs. 

MacIntyre believes that communities should be the controlling force that judges individuals actions on their path towards 'good'. Communities should exercise the values and qualities of being 'good' and they should form the standard to which an individual can be judged. MacIntyres ideal of 'good' and the role it plays with in a community is very similar to Aristotle's 'Eudaimonia". Eudiamonia is a state translated in the context of virtue ethics as 'Human flourishing' or 'happiness'. Aristotle like MacIntyre believe that the pursuit of 'eudaimonia' and the 'good' will result in a mutually more beneficial community. Aristotle like Plato before him state that the pursuit of happiness and human flourishment can and should only be exercised trough the pursuit of 'human community'.