Communitarianism

Definition

Communitarianism is a political and social philosophy that emphasizes the importance of community in shaping individual identity and moral values. It argues that the collective good of the community should take precedence over individual rights and interests.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Communitarianism rejects the liberal emphasis on individual autonomy and instead emphasizes the importance of community in shaping individual identity and moral values.
2. Communitarians argue that the collective good of the community should take precedence over individual rights and interests, and that individuals have a moral duty to contribute to the common good.
3. Communitarians believe that moral values and principles are not universal or objective, but are instead shaped by the cultural, historical, and social context in which they are situated.
4. Communitarians are critical of the liberal emphasis on individual rights and argue that this can lead to a fragmentation of society and a lack of social cohesion.
5. Communitarians emphasize the importance of active citizenship and civic engagement in promoting the common good and strengthening the bonds of community.

Review Questions

• Explain how communitarianism differs from individualism in its approach to political and social organization.
  • Communitarianism differs from individualism in its emphasis on the importance of community in shaping individual identity and moral values. While individualism focuses on the rights and interests of the individual as the basic unit of social life, communitarianism argues that the collective good of the community should take precedence. Communitarians believe that individuals have a moral duty to contribute to the common good and that the community should play a central role in defining and enforcing moral norms and values.
• Describe how communitarianism's rejection of moral universalism relates to the concept of political legitimacy.
  • Communitarianism's rejection of moral universalism, or the idea that there are objective and universal moral principles, has important implications for the concept of political legitimacy. If moral values and principles are shaped by the cultural, historical, and social context in which they are situated, then the legitimacy of political institutions and policies must also be evaluated in relation to the specific community they serve. Communitarians argue that political legitimacy is derived not from abstract principles of individual rights or utilitarian calculations, but from the degree to which political institutions and policies reflect and promote the common good of the community.
• Analyze how the communitarian emphasis on civic engagement and the common good relates to the concept of political duty.
  • The communitarian emphasis on civic engagement and the common good has important implications for the concept of political duty. Communitarians argue that individuals have a moral obligation to actively participate in the political and social life of their community in order to promote the collective good. This sense of political duty is not based on a social contract or the pursuit of individual interests, but on the recognition that one's identity and moral values are shaped by the community and that contributing to the common good is essential for the flourishing of both the individual and the community as a whole. The communitarian view of political duty thus challenges the liberal emphasis on individual rights and instead emphasizes the importance of civic virtue and the collective responsibility of citizens to promote the common good.

Related terms

Individualism:

The belief that the individual is the basic unit of social life and that individual rights and interests should be the primary focus of political and social organization.

Civic Republicanism: A political philosophy that emphasizes the importance of active citizenship, civic virtue, and the common good of the community.

Moral Relativism:

The view that moral principles and values are relative to the cultural, historical, and social context in which they are situated.