I believe that the ideology that achieves the "common good" most effectively is Liberalism. This is dependent of my interpretation of the "common good", being a system that benefits the most people possible if not all of society. Everyone should be mostly satisfied and comfortable with the government without much dissention. I believe, therefore, that modern Liberalism achieves this. Being founded on the principles of liberty and equality, this allows for people to have the the liberty to express themselves as they wish and be treated equally under law. One of the main reasons as to why I support Liberalism is because of the reinvestment into social programs and health care. Education and health care are by far two of the most important social programs and are crucial to the betterment and future of society. With the reinvestiment into these programs, a society that is healthier and and more aware of the opportunities we have living in Canada, for example, will continue to grow. Also, I agree with the liberalistic approach of sometimes including the principle of redistributing taxes to relieve some burden off of those who cannot afford to pay such high taxes. I agree with the separation of church and state as well, since a lot of times religion can interfere with the goals of a nation and can cause some radicalism as can be seen with events like the Crusades and so on. Overall, I believe that the "common good" will be achieved more effectively with Liberalism as it promotes both private property and justice in the electoral process. This is nicely coupled with the perks of having some government involvement to stay organized and structured while maintaining many liberties.
It really depends on what exactly the "common good" is defined as. If we assume the "common good" to be defined as everyone being happy, then perhaps the best ideology to follow would be Communism, due to the cooperative nature. However, this would require that the leader forces everyone to work an equal amount in order to prevent freeloaders. With Communism, it guarantees the well-being of all members of society within the limits of the society itself. But unfortunately, this leaves no room for improvement and progress as that would induce more work onto a single person. On the other hand, if the "common good" were to be defined as "good" for the society as a whole and in relation with other societies, then it seems that Liberalism would be the best choice. This is because Liberalism supports free thought and expression, pursuit of self-interest and individuality. By supporting these qualities, Liberalism allows a society to grow based on its people, which will place it in competition, but overall can have a positive effect on the society as a whole. Furthermore, it places itself in a position with other socities, which can further help the society as a whole through alliances, trades and other such mutual agreements.
I think that in theory, communism would be the best ideology for achieving the "common good." The classless system allows for equality and cooperation. I feel that in a theoretical communist society, the majority of our current problems would disappear. For example, the shared wealth would solve poverty. Political corruption would also cease to exist, as the community is stateless. Unfortunately, the theory does not work because of human nature and selfishness. The community would fall apart because some will contribute more to the communist society than others but receive the same reward. In actuality, I feel socialism is most ideal for a "common good". This is because it incorporates the concept of equality in communism, while also giving rewards to individuals that contribute more. This would slightly motivate the masses to work harder for better standards of living. However, it still relies on the assumption that humans sacrifice quality of life and will not overly protest against high taxation. As a result of the higher taxes for the rich, it will maintain economic and political stability and provide social services for the less fortunate.
I'm impressed with your understanding so far Antony. Your comments are very reasonable and insightful. How do you think the economies in socialist countries are so wealthy when there is such limited foreign investment?
If the definition of the common good refers to the well-being of individuals and the happiness of the population as a whole, communism would definitely achieve this the best as it places power in the hands of everyone in society. There wouldn't be a need to compete with your fellow people and society would overall be happy, everyone would have the basic necessities for life such as food, water, and shelter, and there wouldn't be a need to continuously think about how to get ahead of the population to ensure you can stay alive. However, if we define common good as the community making progress, liberalism would be the best ideology to achieve this. Everyone having equal opportunities to be successful will lead to competition, and since everything is privatized, there is a profit motive to be innovative, to make money, to survive. This will eventually lead to progress in scientific and technological fields, and if the common good is defined as progress in humanity, all of this would be it.
I believe that the ideology that achieves the "common good" most effectively is Liberalism. This is dependent of my interpretation of the "common good", being a system that benefits the most people possible if not all of society. Everyone should be mostly satisfied and comfortable with the government without much dissention. I believe, therefore, that modern Liberalism achieves this. Being founded on the principles of liberty and equality, this allows for people to have the the liberty to express themselves as they wish and be treated equally under law. One of the main reasons as to why I support Liberalism is because of the reinvestment into social programs and health care. Education and health care are by far two of the most important social programs and are crucial to the betterment and future of society. With the reinvestiment into these programs, a society that is healthier and and more aware of the opportunities we have living in Canada, for example, will continue to grow. Also, I agree with the liberalistic approach of sometimes including the principle of redistributing taxes to relieve some burden off of those who cannot afford to pay such high taxes. I agree with the separation of church and state as well, since a lot of times religion can interfere with the goals of a nation and can cause some radicalism as can be seen with events like the Crusades and so on. Overall, I believe that the "common good" will be achieved more effectively with Liberalism as it promotes both private property and justice in the electoral process. This is nicely coupled with the perks of having some government involvement to stay organized and structured while maintaining many liberties.
ReplyDeleteAugusto...you already demonstrate a thorough understanding of liberalism. Exceptional comments here.
DeleteIt really depends on what exactly the "common good" is defined as. If we assume the "common good" to be defined as everyone being happy, then perhaps the best ideology to follow would be Communism, due to the cooperative nature. However, this would require that the leader forces everyone to work an equal amount in order to prevent freeloaders. With Communism, it guarantees the well-being of all members of society within the limits of the society itself. But unfortunately, this leaves no room for improvement and progress as that would induce more work onto a single person. On the other hand, if the "common good" were to be defined as "good" for the society as a whole and in relation with other societies, then it seems that Liberalism would be the best choice. This is because Liberalism supports free thought and expression, pursuit of self-interest and individuality. By supporting these qualities, Liberalism allows a society to grow based on its people, which will place it in competition, but overall can have a positive effect on the society as a whole. Furthermore, it places itself in a position with other socities, which can further help the society as a whole through alliances, trades and other such mutual agreements.
ReplyDeleteIf the common good implies well-being and happiness, does communism achive this? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteI think that in theory, communism would be the best ideology for achieving the "common good." The classless system allows for equality and cooperation. I feel that in a theoretical communist society, the majority of our current problems would disappear. For example, the shared wealth would solve poverty. Political corruption would also cease to exist, as the community is stateless. Unfortunately, the theory does not work because of human nature and selfishness. The community would fall apart because some will contribute more to the communist society than others but receive the same reward. In actuality, I feel socialism is most ideal for a "common good". This is because it incorporates the concept of equality in communism, while also giving rewards to individuals that contribute more. This would slightly motivate the masses to work harder for better standards of living. However, it still relies on the assumption that humans sacrifice quality of life and will not overly protest against high taxation. As a result of the higher taxes for the rich, it will maintain economic and political stability and provide social services for the less fortunate.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed with your understanding so far Antony. Your comments are very reasonable and insightful. How do you think the economies in socialist countries are so wealthy when there is such limited foreign investment?
DeleteIf the definition of the common good refers to the well-being of individuals and the happiness of the population as a whole, communism would definitely achieve this the best as it places power in the hands of everyone in society. There wouldn't be a need to compete with your fellow people and society would overall be happy, everyone would have the basic necessities for life such as food, water, and shelter, and there wouldn't be a need to continuously think about how to get ahead of the population to ensure you can stay alive. However, if we define common good as the community making progress, liberalism would be the best ideology to achieve this. Everyone having equal opportunities to be successful will lead to competition, and since everything is privatized, there is a profit motive to be innovative, to make money, to survive. This will eventually lead to progress in scientific and technological fields, and if the common good is defined as progress in humanity, all of this would be it.
ReplyDeleteThis brings me to my next question then...what makes a person happy?...basic needs being met or freedom and the pursuit of self-interest?
ReplyDelete