The common good is a term that can refer to several different concepts. In the popular meaning, the common good describes a specific "good" that is shared and beneficial for all (or most) members of a given community. This is also how the common good is broadly defined in philosophy, ethics, and political science. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A community is a social group of organisms sharing an environment, normally with shared interests. ... The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... For other uses, see Ethics (disambiguation). ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Political Science is the field concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behaviour. ...

Common good in philosophy, ethics and political science

In ethics and political science to promote the common good means to benefit members of society. Thus, in essence, helping the common good equates with helping all people, or at least the vast majority of them. In that sense, the term could be synonymous with the general welfare. (Working together for the benefit and welfare/safety of all.) For other uses, see Ethics (disambiguation). ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Political Science is the field concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behaviour. ... The well-being or quality of life of a population is an important concern in economics and political science. ...

However there is no strict definition of the common good for each situation. The good that is common between person A and person B may not be the same as between person A and person C. Thus the common good can often change, although there are some things such as the basic requirements for staying alive: food, drinking water, shelter that are always good for all people.

The common good is often regarded as a utilitarian ideal, thus representing "the greatest possible good for the greatest possible number of individuals". In the best case scenario, the "greatest possible number of individuals" would mean all sentient beings. This definition of the common good present it as a quality which is convertible, or reducible, to the sum total of all the private interests of the individual members of a society and interchangeable with them. This article discusses utilitarian ethical theory. ...

Another definition of the common good, as the quintessential goal of the State, requires an admission of the individual's basic right in society, which is, namely, 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. The common good, then, is the sum total of the conditions of social life which enable people the more easily and straightforwardly to do so. The object of State sovereignty is the free choice of means for creating these conditions. Others, in particular John Rawls, makes the distinction between the Good, that is actively creating a better world however that may be defined, and the Just, which creates a fair, liberal social infrastructure that allows the pursuit of virtue, but is prescribe what the common good actually is. John Rawls (February 21, 1921 – November 24, 2002) was an American philosopher, a professor of political philosophy at Harvard University and author of A Theory of Justice (1971), Political Liberalism, Justice as Fairness: A Restatement, and The Law of Peoples. ...

Some assert that promoting the common good is the goal of democracy (in the sphere of politics) and socialism (in the sphere of economics). The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Political Science is the field concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behaviour. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subjfuck grapesect to control by the community[1] for the purposes of increasing social and economic equality and cooperation. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ...

Application in American Politics

Increasingly, progressive Americans are adopting the language of the common good to describe progressive values. As an ethical and moral imperative, the common good is central to the tenets of many religious faiths and can be succinctly described as doing unto others, to use a Biblical phrase, as we would wish done unto ourselves. Aristotle was the first to articulate an ethical understanding of common good, followed by Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas who developed the concept into standard moral theology. This article is about Progressivism. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ... Aristotle (Greek: AristotélÄ“s) (384 BC – 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... “Augustinus” redirects here. ... Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P.(also Thomas of Aquin, or Aquino; c. ...

Concerning contemporary American politics, the common good language is increasingly identifiable with political actors of the progressive left. First described by Michael Tomasky in The American Prospect magazine ^[1] and John Halpin at the Center for American Progress ^[2], the political understanding of the common good has grown. The Take Back America Conference, the liberal magazine The Nation,^[3] and the Rockridge Institute^[4] have identified the common good as a salient political message for progressive candidates.^[5] More recently, the common good rhetoric is being used by political actors in an explicitly religious context, such as Kansans for Faithful Citizenship. Michael Tomasky is a liberal American journalist and author. ... The American Prospect is a monthly magazine which focuses on US politics and public policy. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Center for American Progress is a progressive American political policy research and advocacy organization. ... The Nation (ISSN 0027-8378) is a weekly [1] U.S. periodical devoted to politics and culture, self-described as the flagship of the left. [2] Founded on July 6, 1865 as an Abolitionist publication, it is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. ... The Rockridge Institute is an American non-profit research and progressive think tank located in Berkeley, California. ...

See also

• Social justice

Social justice refers to the concept of an unjust society that refers to more than just the administration of laws. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=11424
2. ^ http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2006/06/b1728259.html
3. ^ http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060717/kvh
4. ^ http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/thinkingpoints
5. ^ http://straighttalk.ourfuture.org/Straight-Talk-2006.pdf