Abstract

This study explores the meaning of the common good and the prospects for pursuing it in a liberal society. Three aims characterize the investigation. First and most generally, it outlines a theoretical synthesis of liberalism and communitarianism. Second, it presents Jacques Maritain's Catholic common good theory as one successful example of such a synthesis. Third and most specifically, it argues that religion is an essential component of the common good for a liberal society. This argument concretely demonstrates how a liberal society can benefit from the political and social contributions that citizens make as members of particular communities. The study begins by drawing resources for a contemporary theory of communal liberalism from John Locke and Moses Mendelssohn, whose liberalisms relied on religious sources. It turns then to modern liberalism, which, in the work of John Rawls, constrains religious argument and practice by placing unjustified conditions on religious speech in politics. Michael Sandel, a critic of Rawls, points a way toward mediating liberalism and communitarianism, but his approach remains inadequate. The study turns to Maritan, whose account of the common good proceeds as both a natural law argument and a theological argument. His theory is shown to mediate both methodological and substantive theory sees religion, Catholic Christianity in particular, making three contributions to the common good: intellectual resources that assist the public's reflection on political matters; conditions that promote social harmony among citizens of differing worldviews; and arguments that draw the public's attention to personal and social goods that are often neglected in politics. A comparison with Rawls and Sandel shows that Maritan successfully articulates a theory of communal liberalism. The thesis concludes by applying Maritan's substantive political philosophy to the moral/political problem of abortion, in order to show how common good principles can guide a pluralistic society to points of consensus in the often contentious debate over this issue.