From Achilles to Superman
A Leader’s Guide to MacIntyre’s History of Ethics
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
Decades of surveys show us that the American public has lost faith in its leaders. We don't really need survey data to know this is true. Just peruse your favorite source of media and you will see a distrust in leaders from all sides of the political spectrum. It may be the only thing that our divided country agrees about. Even the leadership education experts have lost faith in the clients they are supposed to educate. After spending billions of dollars per year on leadership education, those educators observe that leaders have never been less respected or more distrusted than they are today. How can we escape our leadership predicament? We can start with a basic insight that trust or distrust in a leader is often based on the ethics of that leader. Yet many people, including our leaders, struggle to articulate what ethics is even about, much less how it relates to leadership. This book fills that gap by describing how our story of ethics has developed over the last 2,500 years and how understanding that story will help leaders regain the trust of a public that wants and needs their leaders to be worthy of trust.
Endorsements (4)
“Dr. Joseph McInerney has done a remarkable service in making the profound historical analysis of Alasdair MacIntyre accessible and applicable for a wide audience. In our age of confused and often simplistic discussions of moral questions, this book is an invaluable introduction to thinking well about what it means to not only be a good leader but simply a good human being.”
“Dr. McInerney brilliantly synthesizes the wisdom of timeless ethical principles of the ancient Greeks with the leadership traits of today’s most successful leaders. Drawing from Alasdair MacIntyre’s masterful work, A Short History of Ethics, McInerney weaves a fascinating story of the positive developments and corruptions in the history of ethics, offering clear presentations of the most significant ethical thinkers and leaders.”
“An essential read for leaders, From Achilles to Superman masterfully illuminates the evolution of ethical thought from ancient Greece to modern times as a practical guidebook for leaders seeking to elevate the standards, virtues, and values that define their organizational culture while also enhancing their own decision-making. A beacon of clarity for those striving to lead with wisdom, character, and principle amidst the chaos and ambiguity of our present times.”
“Sometimes you don't realize you need something until you get it: that is the case with Captain Joseph McInerny's book, From Achilles to Superman. We are drowning in books on leadership, but so few of them connect leadership to the intellectual tradition that produces men and women of virtue like this one does. The only remedy to our cynicism about our leaders—their character, their effectiveness, their good for us—is for us to be able to recognize people of character. This book tells the story we need to hear to help bring clarity back to our vision of leadership at this urgent moment.”
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