What is meant by a politics of the common good

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What is meant by a ‘politics of the common good’? How might such a politics be achieved?

This essay will mostly compare communitarianism with liberalism.  I will first start by defining ‘politics of the common good’ and then going into depth as to how such a politics can be achieved.  I will argue both for and against if this politics could be attained before summing up the differences between communitarianism and liberalism.

Liberals believe that the common good is the result of a process combining individual preferences, all of which are counted equally.  The [liberal] theory of equality supposes that political decisions must be, so far as is possible, independent of any particular conception of the good life, or of what gives value to life. Since the citizens of a society differ in their conceptions, the government does not treat them as equals if it prefers one conception to another, either because the officials believe that one is intrinsically superior, or because one is held by the more numerous or more powerful group.  Liberals believe that the state must stay neutral among challenging conceptions of the good life; it must not confine an individual's liberty for his or her own good; and it must not implement society's principles by means of the law. American political morality thus excludes perfectionism, paternalism, and moralism as grounds for state interference. It excludes the pursuit of the good life from the business of the state.

Communitarians believe that good is the conception of the good life which defines the community’s way of life.  It provides a standard.  Individual’s preferences are evaluated.  The weight given depends on how much they conform to the common good.  They also believe that they should encourage people to adopt the community’s way of life so therefore live in a perfectionist state.

The common good describes a specific "good" that is shared and beneficial for all (or most) members of a given community.  The common good is often regarded as a utilitarian ideal, thus representing "the greatest possible good for the greatest possible number of individuals".  It is the right of everyone to the opportunity to freely shape his life by responsible action, in pursuit of virtue and in accordance with the moral law.  Securing the common good means putting the public interest above narrow self-interest and group demands.  Followers of the ‘politics of the common good’ work to achieve social and economic conditions that benefit everyone.  They also want to create a more open and honest governmental structure that relies upon an engaged and participatory citizenry; and do more to meet the common responsibilities to aid the disadvantaged, protect our natural resources, and provide opportunities rather than burdens for future generations.  A primary goal of government in this approach is to ensure basic fairness and opportunity: the civil, legal, and economic arrangements necessary to ensure every individual has a real shot at his or her dreams. Common-good progressivism does not guarantee that everybody will be the same, think the same, or get the same material benefits in life; it simply means that people should start from a level playing field and have a reasonable chance at achieving success.  Internationally, common-good progressivism focuses on new and revitalized global leadership grounded in the integrated use of military, economic, and diplomatic power; the just use of force; global engagement; new institutions and networks to deal with intractable problems; and global equity.  This requires true leadership and global cooperation.  The basic philosophical argument that should guide our strategic process and inform our politics is clear: progressives seek to secure the common good.

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Now that we are clear on what is meant by a ‘politics of the common good’ we can now move on to discuss how such a politics can be achieved.  It is hard to endeavor such a political view in today’s society where everyone is so different and seeks to achieve different goals.  In a pluralistic society like ours, various different minority groups have been heard and listened to.  It is quite hard to envisage such a society where each group can come together and jointly discuss what the society’s goals and what institutions and environments we are supposed ...

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