The article, "The Common Good", speak, or debates, what really is the common good, and if there really is just one definition. The common good is one of the bases for political parties or faction, as most Republicans are against the common good, and Democrats are mostly for it. When viewing the anti-common good side I can help, but think that is goes against human progress. For someone to feel that they, through their work, should progress, while others who do not have the same opportunities can wither, is alien to me. My ideology is almost based on 'the common good' in which I think that we need to work as a species to all have a better quality of life. It wasn't Thomas Jefferson's idea to write the Declaration of Independence, it was a nation's. The role of government is to be the back bone of the push towards common greatness, to outline society's decision of working as a nation for the nation. This article was super liberal, which I found completely enjoyable. Also if my response is called communist, then you are wrong, the term is socialism.
"This article was super liberal, which I found completely enjoyable."
ReplyDeleteThe opposite view that selfishness is a virtue has been famously written about by Ayn Rand. Have you read any of her works?
I like your response. It seems as if you are looking past merely "republican" and "democrat" and focusing more on what is right for humans in general. I think we focus too much on the separations between rich and poor, democratic and republican, catholic and protestant, etc. but the idea of the common good is more about ignoring these differences and progressing as an entire group of people. I think with a country as diverse as ours, it would probably be an unrealistic goal to work towards pleasing all citizens. Instead, I think the government should just ensure they are supporting things that benefit all people; to me, this is what the common good really is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your ideology, but I disagree that the article was super liberal. If anything it was slightly cynical about the practicality of the common good. It brings up several valid points about why the common good is difficult to achieve. I do like your observation that the conservative ideology seems to be one of individualism, which goes against the achievement of a "common good." Or rather, conservatives that the best system is where the goal is for the "free market" to provide for the needs of everyone rather than the government. However, I think that you and I believe that government is needed to insure that pursuit of individual interests also leads to the fulfillment of the interests of all.
ReplyDeleteEli I meant the liberal comment as a joke because I read someone else's blog and it mentioned how "the common good" was totally communist.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea of what I government should be. A government should be set up to help the people achieve a single goal that everyone wants; the common good. But you cannot deny that such a goal would be hard to accomplish because everyone has their own ideology and opinions.
ReplyDeleteDo you think common good can be applied to everyone? I do not think the government can make a list and say these are all good for all people, and will hurt everyone equally. By that I mean everyone has the same needs and the burden is shared equally among everyone. Common good can sound good on paper, but it is an unreasonable claim on how society should operate.
ReplyDelete@Mr. T.
ReplyDeleteAyn Rand. She is an evil crone. We should do something about her since she influences Republican policy and economic ideology so much.
I think the two-parties are the reason why the common good isn't used more. The distinctions that we make between ourselves prevents the common good from working. If we forgot about our labels, then we could work together to solve problems on the basis of what works. Not what we believe should work.
@abby, Yeah I agree. We should ignore our differences. However, I don't agree that it is un-achievable. People can work together if they are put under pressure. Pressure, or even a threat, will cause people to work for the good common. During World War II, Ford made army trucks and tanks instead of cars. This wasn't in interest, it was what Ford needed to do to help the American cause. If we hadn't worked together, we might have not won. This sort of pressure is one way the common good could be successful.
The common good doesn't necessarily mean socialism. Working together and picking what works is just good governing. A selfish, individualist approach to politics doesn't allow the best decisions to be made. It focuses on what is best for the individual, not society.