ABSTRACT
I. Introduction What if civil society was the source of restrictions to human freedom and creativity, rather than the arena in which freedom and creativity were exercised? Political philosophers who raise this concern are important to include in the dialogue about civil society. To this end, we start with Friedrich Nietzsche (1844ă1900), move to Michel Foucault (1926ă1984), and conclude with Alasdaire MacIntyreÊs important critique, from an Aristotelian perspective, of NietzscheÊs argument. Throughout this chapter, a major concern of modern life that continually resonates is if the European Enlightenment that dominates our lives today and that makes reason the main source of truth seeking is hostile to the attainment of meaningful lives? We now turn to a discussion of the writers just listed.
