Political science · An Introduction To Political Theory 9th Edition O. P. Gauba
Chapter 21 : Concept of the Common Good
Table of contents32 sections
- 1.Concept of the Common Good
- 2.Nature of the Common Good
- 3.What is the Common Good?
- 4.Distinction Between Justice, Common Good and Public Interest
- 5.Method of Pursuit
- 6.Key Terms
- 7.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 8.Liberal Perspective
- 9.Core Tenets
- 10.A Critical Appraisal
- 11.Key Terms
- 12.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 13.Communitarian Perspective
- 14.Core Tenets
- 15.Key Thinkers
- 16.A Critical Appraisal
- 17.Key Terms
- 18.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 19.Marxian Perspective
- 20.Necessary Conditions for the Common Good
- 21.Doctrine of Class Struggle
- 22.A Critical Appraisal
- 23.Key Terms
- 24.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 25.Gandhian Perspective
- 26.Doctrine of Trusteeship
- 27.Vision of a Classless Society
- 28.Concept of Sarvodaya
- 29.Comparative Perspective on the Common Good
- 30.Key Terms
- 31.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 32.Quick-Recall Box
Chapter preview
Concept of the Common Good
Nature of the Common Good
What is the Common Good?
The concept of the common good is a normative ideal closely related to justice, focusing on the welfare of the whole community rather than the immediate interests of individuals or factions.
- Aristotle: Believed the state exists "for the sake of the good life" and to promote moral objectives. He distinguished between 'right' (normal) constitutions, which pursue the common good (the good of the whole community), and 'perverted' ones.
- D.D. Raphael (Problems of Political Philosophy, 1976): Identified the pursuit of the common good as the key feature of the modern state, achieved by laying down laws backed by force, preventing harm, and collecting taxes for services (defence, public utility, social services).
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) (The Social Contract, 1762): Expressed indignation at human selfishness and the brazenness of interests appropriating the name of the public good; made a strong case for pursuing the common good.
- T.H. Green (1836-82) (Lectures on the Principles of Political Obligation, 1882): Declared the state an instrument for promoting the common good.
- Legacy: The tradition founded by Rousseau and Green led to the development of the communitarian perspective.
Clarifying the Concept:
- Not the good of the state: A tyrannical state may operate against the common good.
- Not the good of the majority: The common good can be invoked to stop injustice against a minority.
- Not just the common interest of civil society: Civil society may have conflicting interests resolved through bargaining, which does not always yield the common good.
- Not utilitarianism: Equating it with the "greatest happiness of the greatest number" is misleading. John Rawls (1921-2002) demonstrated that this utilitarian formula can result in injustice to the minority.
- Does not destroy individual incentive: J.K. Galbraith (1908-2006) argued that the rich cannot fully enjoy their wealth without adequate public services, showing that ignoring the common good harms individual potential.
Testing and Applying the Common Good:
- Testing Criterion : To test a proposal from the point of view…
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