Is Alasdair MacIntyre Right that Aristotelian–Thomist Natural Law Ethics is Incompatible with Capitalism and Economics?

+Abstract: In recent years there has been a revival of interest in economics by scholars working within Aristotelian-Thomist natural law tradition. However, the most prominent contemporary advocate of that tradition Alasdair McIntyre believes that Aristotelian-Thomist natural law ethics is fundamentally incompatible with contemporary capitalism, and even more so with contemporary economics. This paper outlines MacIntyre’s arguments about economics and assesses their validity. It concludes that his arguments are flawed and that doing economics within the Aristotelian-Thomist tradition is coherent, though currently underdeveloped especially in modeling and empirics. More work is needed, and the project avoids some of the pitfalls of other forms of Christian economics.