Dirty Hands or Political Virtue? Walzer's and MacIntyre's Answers to Machiavelli's Challenge

Abstract

Can it be right to do wrong in order to do good? Can torture, for instance, be justified? This commentary argues that Michael Walzer's often-cited answer on these dirty hands issues is problematic, and that a properly elaborated virtue ethics is more convincing. The argument is of particular consequence for courses on administrative ethics and for practitioners dealing with hard cases.