The Concept of Common Good in the American Founding Fathers - Essay Example

The concept of common Good in the American Founding Fathers Introduction The concept of the common good has to do with the balance between the community and individual benefit. Aristotle and Aquinas in their works point out the need for the desirable or common good of the society. In order to realize common good by an individual, one requires public life. It is only in public life that one can realize his human capacity. The human beings are depicted as social beings that require public life in order to realize an individual full meaning of his existence. Without the public life, one is constraint to pursuing desires for individual gain. This discussion will investigate the Aristotelian-Aquinas views and ideas concerning the concept of common good. Discussion Humankind has a natural interest to live in a social setting with others. A person is unable to create an ultimate society. The family is increasingly natural because of various reasons. First, the inclinations that motivate people to build the family are increasingly strong and secondly because the unit is a highly crucial context for growth, development and survival of the child. Other societal elements, including political and social organizations, even though extensively fundamental, may be defined as natural, as long as people have natural motivation to create these societies and mainly because people cannot live without such institutions. Therefore, the concept of the common good is crucial to keep these societal elements in check and maintain social relationships and peace (Aquinas and Regan 74). Aquinas, a Christian theologian, incorporates the philosophical view of Aristotle concerning common good and the theology of Bible in his ideas. He asserts that it is ideological for an individual to live in a community, and that attracts regulations. Common good can be achieved if people’s lives and objectives are monitored, organized and regulated. No human being can live individually; they must live together and pursue the common good (Pakaluk 45). Aristotle concentrates on the healthy social connections. Apart from the individual liberty, Aristotle adds the flourishing in live, which represents the quality life for the whole community instead of just individuals (Bartholomew, Blythe and Aquinas, 23). Aristotle also provides a spiritual view of the common good, and he argues that it is natural or godly to sustain common good acknowledged in the society. Based on Aristotle’s view, common good refers to the quest towards good end and the concepts concern the polis. The good can be easily acquired and preserved. In other words, the quest for good ends is devotion towards a healthy life. The good life is geared towards the shared good with others. Therefore, according to Aristotle, the good desired by a person and the true common good is inextricable (Burger 25). In his argument, Aristotle insists that ethics is a practical discipline in which one achieves good if he develops a good understanding of what it is to flourish. He negates his emphasizes on the list of good items. Instead, he argues that one would find it good to make friends, to achieve physical health, to be honorable and attain some acceptable virtues including courage. The most appropriate good should be characterized by its desirability because its desirability is not because of other good and that other goods do not depend on it (Bostock 23). The eudemon is the standard end with the subservient objectives being material gain, health and related resources that enhance well-being. A human being, rationally, should be able to determine the good that consists in human beings having high rational capacity that allows people to live a healthy life (Keys 47). Thus, in reasoning and achieving everything well, people need virtue and morals. Healthy living entails performing healthy activities, and not just being subjected in a certain condition. He, however, points out that a person’s good living may be limited if one lacks certain advantages, for example, if a person is extremely ugly. In view of this, one would wonder, “If one’s happiness is linked to the virtuous activity, why should it be different when one lacks these advantages?” In response, Aristotle says that the results virtuous activity are to some extent diminished if one lacks in the supply of other goods such as friends, power and others. In view of this argument, it can be concluded that good living would require good fortune to some extent. Inadequate good fortune can rob one’s joy and comfort. However, happiness and good living do not happen to somebody by chance (Freedman 41). According to Aristotle, injustice hinders the desirable good. The unfairness is fueled by excessive desire for external desires including money, prestige and authority. Thomas Aquinas holds that the country’s common good is the satisfaction of its citizens. In fact, a human being is a sociopolitical animal, living in a social group (Smith 12). All people utilize speech to reason, think and communicate with one another. The three crucial aspects highlighted by the two philosophical thinkers include respect for humankind, security, peace and societal order protection, as well as protection of community’s social wellbeing (Maritain and Fitzgerald 63). Aquinas, in his law, outlines the primary principles of common good. He asserts that anything desirable must be practiced. Similarly, an individual failure to pursue and desire good acts is evil. A person should yearn for healthy bodies, friendships and personal education and knowledge. Additionally, the law involves the real reasoning of human beings whereby one can choose what is appropriate for his nature. From observation, a person tends to look after his personal gain without minding the good of others. Therefore, in any group of people, there must government and the law should focus on the promotion common fulfillment (Kraut 52). Thomas Aquinas relates affection with the desirable behavior. He further argues that something is good in as much as it exists, and it has reached its perfect ends, and exhibits the ability to transmit this good to others. In his book, the desirable good is presented as a main idea showing extensive resemblance to God. In Aquinas work, he addressed the problem brought about by the unjust rulers. According to him, when these rulers make laws that violate the natural law, they are termed as tyrants. Such rulers are no longer focused on the common good but the private gain (Tocqueville and Meyer 69). The subordinates to these rulers, according to Aquinas thought, are not pressurized to follow laws. Aquinas further believes that human beings can never attain the perfect happiness in life through the human, natural capacities. This is so because the ultimate joy is depended on harmony and reverence to God (Aquinas 12). To attain the perfect happiness, therefore, a person requires both virtues and God. An individual’s interest is connected to the common interest shared in the social group by its affiliates, and the standard good is the God given one (Miller 41). In other words, Aquinas ideas on the quest of shared good put in a clear sense the biblical main ideas of love, for instance, love the creator with everything a person has – mind, soul and heart – and love one’s neighbor as one loves himself. Aquinas warns against fighting and argues that the struggle for richness, prestige and authority is unjustified. He believes that a justified fight should have a justifiable cause, constitutional permission and intentions of power (Nemeth 52). In addition, all other alternatives -- alternatives to fighting -- should be attempted before resulting to fight. The gains attained through fight should surpass the termination of fight, acceptable war or fight seeks to generate solidarity and harmony. Aristotle’s work sets a basis for Thomas Aquinas’ idea of the desirable good concept. The critics on these two arguments are that the both philosophers look at nature as if it works the way a human being works. However, these two philosophers use analogy when speaking about natural things being motivated by love and desire (Aristotle and May, 45). For instance, Thomas says that living things, such as plants, are inclined to reach their state of affection even without the good they are seeking. Thomas uses this natural love in most of the passages. Thomas, in addition, employs the law of gravity to explain the forces of ultimate love. Conclusion From the historical standpoint of the shared common good, there exists evidence that the public good was a fundamental element towards health life via the western ideas and aspects of current Christian spirituality. The ideology of Aristotle concerning the concept of the common good has ever since created the primary basis for all other critical thinkers and philosophers, including David Hume, Aquinas and others. In the Aristotelian-Aquinas arguments of common good, passion and determination are seen as increasingly crucial to attain the social common good for all. A person exists in the society to attain the common good and such an individual – society members – should be encouraged by the desire to excel in the society. In sensitivity to the maker (God) and colleagues (other society members), the basis of common good, a person should show love to others. Common good is only attainable and realizable through love and determination that is highly preferred in comparison with individualist efforts. Works Cited Aquinas, Thomas. “Commentary on the Nicomachean Ethics”, trans. Ernest L. Fortin and Peter D. O’Neill. In Medieval Political Philosophy, eds. Ralph Lerner and Mushin Mahdi, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1962. Print. Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on the Politics, trans. C.I. Litzinger, Notre Dame, IN: Dumb Ox Books, 1993. Print. Aristotle and Nadia May. Nicomachean Ethics. Ashland, Or.: Blackstone Audiobooks, 2007. Internet resource. Bartholomew, Lucca, James Blythe, and Thomas Aquinas. On the Government of Rulers: De Regimine Principum. Philadelphia: PENN, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997. Print. Bostock, David. Aristotles Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. Burger, Ronna. Aristotles Dialogue with Socrates: on the Nicomachean Ethics. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2008. Print. 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