However, after reading the works of Thomas Kuhn and Imre Lakatos on philosophy of science and epistemology, MacIntyre was inspired to change the entire direction of his thought, tearing up the manuscript he had been working on and deciding to view the problems of modern moral and political philosophy "not from the standpoint of liberal modernity, but instead from the standpoint of… Aristotelian moral and political practice."
Namun, setelah membaca karya-karya Thomas Kuhn serta Imre Lakatos mengenai filsafat sains dan epistemologi, MacIntyre terinspirasi untuk mengubah keseluruhan arah pemikirannya, merobek-robek naskah yang telah ia kerjakan dan memutuskan untuk melihat permasalahan filsafat politik dan moral modern "bukan dari sudut pandang modernitas liberal, melainkan dari sudut pandang ... praktik politik dan moral Aristotelian."