Communitarianism

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This page covers communitarianism in terms of politics. For a page on communitarianism from a philosophical perspective, see the Philosophyball Page

"It is the well being, not of individuals, but of the community which makes a state great; and, without question, this universal well-being is nowhere secured save in a republic."

Communitarianism is a non-quadrant political philosophy and ideology emphasizing the wellbeing of and the importance of the community as the primary social unit.

Communitarianism generally advocates Syncretic positions on economics and social issues. He will typically stress the idea that the left-right binary of politics is holding politics back, as well as arguing that policies from both sides of the spectrum are complementary and necessary to benefit the community. Many ideologies that are traditionally socially right-wing and economically left-wing without straying into outright Collectivism could be considered Communitarian in nature.

Communitarianism can be contrasted with Collectivism, with whom he is often compared, in that Communitarianism usually stresses cohesion and outward wellbeing rather than submission to a collective. He may view individual and collective interests as ultimately complementary, as it is in the best interest of individuals to participate in and align their lives with society. In this way he is not fundamentally anti-individualist, but rather believes absolute individualism is harmful when it contradicts with the common good.

Communitarianism as placed on a Nolan Chart, considered the meeting point of community-based social and economic alignment.

The modern theories of Communitarianism were elaborated in the 1980s by several political philosophers of the Radical Centrist school of thought, based primarily on descriptive statements on the perceived falsehood of Classical Liberal conceptions of society as a purely voluntary and rational association arising from individual choice. After a brief two decade-long life in academia, the ideology has largely fallen out of favour as a strict philosophy.

Beliefs

Community

Communitarians believe that communities are the foundation of society and prioritize the collective well-being of these communities over individual desires. They argue that individuals are deeply interconnected with and influenced by the social environment in which they live. This perspective underscores the significance of fostering strong and supportive communities to promote overall societal health.

Central to communitarianism is the idea of social responsibility. Communitarians stress the importance of individuals recognizing and fulfilling their obligations to contribute positively to the welfare of their communities. They believe that each member of society has a responsibility to actively engage in efforts to enhance the common good and address social challenges.

Communitarians critique excessive individualism, which they see as detrimental to social cohesion and solidarity. They argue that an overemphasis on individual rights and freedoms can erode the sense of community and weaken social ties. Communitarians advocate for a more balanced approach that recognizes the importance of individual autonomy while also acknowledging the interconnectedness of individuals within the community.

Shared Values and Norms

Communitarians advocate for the cultivation of shared values and norms within communities. They contend that a cohesive and harmonious society is built upon commonly accepted principles that guide behavior and interactions among its members. These shared values serve as a unifying force, fostering solidarity and cooperation within the community.

Communitarians encourage active participation in civic life and community affairs. They believe that individuals should be actively involved in decision-making processes and civic initiatives aimed at addressing social issues and improving community well-being. Civic engagement fosters a sense of empowerment and ownership among community members, strengthening social bonds and promoting collective action.

Social Capital

Communitarians place significant emphasis on the concept of social capital, which encompasses the networks, relationships, and trust that exist within a community. They view social capital as a vital resource that contributes to the functioning and resilience of society. Strong social capital facilitates cooperation, collaboration, and mutual support among community members, ultimately leading to a more cohesive and vibrant community.

Communitarians advocate for a balanced approach that acknowledges both individual rights and collective responsibilities. While affirming the value of individual freedoms, they emphasize the importance of exercising these freedoms within the context of social and moral obligations to the community. This balanced approach seeks to reconcile individual autonomy with the broader interests of the community.

Variants

Deneenism

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MacIntyreism

Alasdair Chalmers MacIntyre is a Scottish-American philosopher who has contributed to moral and political philosophy as well as history of philosophy and theology.MacIntyre's After Virtue (1981) is one of the most important works of Anglophone moral and political philosophy in the 20th century. He is a senior research fellow at the Centre for Contemporary Aristotelian Studies in Ethics and Politics (CASEP) at London Metropolitan University, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, and Permanent Senior Distinguished Research Fellow at the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture.


Politically, MacIntyre's ethics informs a defence of the Aristotelian 'goods of excellence' internal to practices against the modern pursuit of 'external goods', such as money, power, and status, that are characteristic of rule-based, utilitarian, Weberian modern institutions. He has been described as a 'revolutionary Aristotelian' because of his attempt to combine historical insights from his Marxist past with those of Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle after MacIntyre's conversion to Catholicism. For him, liberalism and postmodern consumerism not only justify capitalism but also sustain and inform it over the long term. At the same time, he says that "Marxists have always fallen back into relatively straightforward versions of Kantianism or utilitarianism" (After Virtue, p. 261) and criticises Marxism as just another form of radical individualism. He says about Marxists that "as they move towards power they always tend to become Weberians." Informed by that critique, Aristotelianism loses its sense of elitist complacency; moral excellence ceases to be part of a particular, historical practice in ancient Greece and becomes a universal quality of those who understand that good judgment emanates from good character.

MacIntyre criticizes individualist political philosophy, such as John Rawls' A Theory of Justice and Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia. To MacIntyre, morals and virtues can only be comprehended through their relation to the community which they come from. Whereas Rawls tells us to conceive of justice through abstracting ourselves from who we are (through the veil of ignorance, for example) MacIntyre disagrees. Running throughout After Virtue is the belief that in order to comprehend who we are, we must understand where we come from.

How to Draw

Flag of Communitarianism
  1. Draw a ball.
  2. Color it orange.
  3. Draw a white weighing scale in it.
  4. Add the eyes.

You're done!

Color NameHEXRGB
 Orange#FF8801rgb(255, 136, 1)
 White#FFFFFFrgb(255, 255, 255)


Relationships

Friends

  • Paternalistic Conservatism - My best friend, truly cares about our traditions and communities.
  • Christian Democracy - You have been my greatest ally, especially in Italy, and my policies got through thanks to you.
  • One-Nationism - My best friend on the British isles.
  • Conservatism - Values must be upheld through a strong community body.
  • Progressive Conservatism - Protecting minorities while upholding the common good is fantastic.
  • Civic Nationalism - The nation is a community.
  • Interculturalism - Perfect, we all must unite as a single community.
  • Corporatism - Pretty much my economic views, we all need to unite no matter our wealth or social relation to production.
  • Christian Socialism - Christian and progressive values along with economic equality and a worker and community centric economic system? Based!
  • Social Authoritarianism - A strong state that protects all is exactly what we need!
  • Defensive Democracy - You fix the problems of democracy by preventing extremists from using it to tear our community apart!
  • Utopian Socialism - I form the basis of most of your theories.

Frenemies

  • Nouvelle Droite - Big fans of my social theories, but racism tears us apart.
  • Cultural Nationalism - You talk a lot of sense from time to time, immigrants can threaten our society but diversity can also be a strength and you do divide our society just like how immigrants do.
  • Multiculturalism - And you have the exact opposite problem, we can't just let anyone come in we need to integrate so that our community is whole.
  • Socialism - Your economy for all not just the few sounds good but you tend to divide the community between the proletariat and the bourgeoise, we all need to get along and work together.
  • Localism - Sounds good, but what about larger scale communities like the nation, cities and the world?
  • Third Way - In theory you are really great, merging conservatism with socialism, but in reality you just merge him with him.
  • Progressivism - The march for black lives begins with all of us, as a community, but your identity politics is quite divisive.
  • Traditionalism - Traditions only have value when they uphold the common good, or else they are just an excuse to exclude members of the community.
  • Social Democracy - In practice you tend to implement my vision the best, but I still find you too individualist like him.
  • Conservative Socialism - Generally good but I am not a fan of your embrace of conservative idpol and divisive socialism. Why can't you be like him?

Enemies

  • Autarchy - The community is important too!
  • Anarcho-Egoism - Society is good, dammit!
  • Anarcho-Individualism - Selfish prick.
  • Illegalism & Avaritionism - Absolute menaces to the community. I can only hope that these bastards get caught before they cause more damage.
  • Conservative Liberalism - Disgrace to the conservative name, you divide society and sell entire countries off to the highest bidder.
  • Neoliberalism - Just the above but even worse because you support mass immigration and social permissiveness without Socdem's responsibility.
  • Marxism–Leninism - I get the appeal of a strong state to protect the working class but your hateful, destructive revolutionism and genocide divides communities along class lines.
  • Capitalism - Sorry but the community is more important than profit.
  • Syndicalism - Owners, managers and the unemployed are also part of our community.

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