Essay On Common Good Theory

The Common Good theory, is a theory on groups and individuals based on Aristotle’s principles. It states that the highest good can be achieved when people work together to obtain a certain goal. It is defined as, “a good proper to, and attainable only by the community, yet individually shared by its members” (Dupre, 687). These goods can be material possessions or abstract resources such as honor, security, or any other thing that people have to share. Aristotle states that the scarcity of these resources makes them the subject of intense competition and conflict (Smith, 626). This in turn, leads to Aristotle’s notion for the motive for injustice, which is the lack of sensitivity to other people’s notion of the good (Smith, 626). It is important to look into the common good theory, as Aristotle believed that it had the potential to reorient individuals to a more justice-filled vision of politics and life in general. Although talk about the Common Good has been abandoned in the 20th century, this essay claims that a Common Good can exist in the …show more content…
Certain groups become limited, the poor or unqualified receive unequal treatment, cultivating civil unrest. This isn’t the only case with America and its society, “all around the world fragmentation has been associated with major economic disruptions, anger over the fact the new opportunities were limited to the rich, the powerful, or the criminal; an overall environment of lawlessness combined with failure of systems of police and justice; and increased crime and violence” (Waller). “Youth are most affected; they see no chance for participation in the development of the country. In spite of their education and energy, they are helpless, frustrated, and dangerous” –Kenya 1997 (Waller). This is all due to the lawlessness, poverty, crime, and violence created over the scarcity of