Common GoodThe Good of a Community as a

Whole

ANARCHY POLICE STATE

Would you rather live in Anarchy or a Police State?

According to ancient philosopher, Aristotle, the government has issues

• Aristotle believed human beings are political animals and require the city to be “self-sufficient” and live “well.”• Logos, or the capacity for reasoned speech and how this

enables us to think, judge, and make moral decisions is essential to human nature.• The law must be based upon the common good.• Politics enables human beings to cultivate logos.• Politics ministers to the life of the mind since that life deals

with the highest, unchanging, and eternal things.

What is Common Good?

Perhaps the common good of the political community can be illustrated by an analogy of a rowboat that develops a leak. The common good of all is served by making decisions, combining resources, setting priorities to fix the leak before the boat sinks. The common good also dictates that anyone who attempts to undermine the enterprise must be prevented from doing so through coercion if necessary. (This is a view that both Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas share.)

Individual Rights

Common Good

SCENARIOS

When our government makes laws, they often have to balance the desire to protect individual rights with the desire to benefit society as a whole.We will look at some scenarios right now. Decide whether you side on the side of society or on the individual.

Right to a LawyerIn the USA, anyone who gets arrested for a crime has a right to have a lawyer. This is certainly expensive for society, and also prevents some criminals from being apprehended and put in jail, which makes the streets less safe.

Lawyers protect people from police mistakes and corruption. Without lawyers, more innocent people would be in jail. Our legal system is very complicated and without a lawyer, citizens would not know how to navigate it.

Seatbelt LawIf someone gets in an accident and they are not wearing a seat belt, the damage is much greater, including a greater risk of death. If someone is wearing a seat belt, this will protect them. Society will save on the cost of taking care of hurt people, as well as have a more healthy population if seatbelts are legally required.

As long as people know the risks of not wearing a seatbelt, this is their risk to take. People have the right to make decisions for themselves, it is not the government’s job to make laws that take care of us. A seatbelt law take away an individual right to make their own decisions.

Jury Duty

It is better that if someone is accused of a crime, their guilt or innocence is determined by a group of fellow citizens, not the government. The more diverse this group, the more likely a person accused of a crime can get a fair trial. All US citizens should be required to do this when they are chosen.

People have jobs and families. Although juries might protect the right of an individual to have a fair trial, it is not ok for the government to require its citizens to serve on a jury. It should be by choice.

Let’s Practice

•Read the following paragraph• Identify the common good statement

Sample Response #1

• I believe individuals in the U.S. should be able to own and carry handguns because the 2nd amendment guarantees our right to do so and it will ultimately make our society a safer place if criminals are not the only ones with arms. To ensure that this right is protected, I would call on my fellow citizens to join with the NRA to lobby city councils to repeal the ban on hand guns in most major cities.

Sample Response #1

• I believe individuals in the U.S. should be able to own and carry handguns because the 2nd amendment guarantees our right to do so and it will ultimately make our society a safer place if criminals are not the only ones with arms. To ensure that this right is protected, I would call on my fellow citizens to join with the NRA to lobby city councils to repeal the ban on hand guns in most major cities.

Sample Response #2

• The second reason why individual rights should be protected over common welfare is the right to a trial itself would not in fact endanger anyone. If Hamdi was found to be guilty of a crime, he would merely be appointed with a fair and reasonable jail time. If he was found innocent, it would be very easy to assign an ankle monitor to him, which would alert others of his potential danger and provide a way to track his activities.

Sample Response #2

• The second reason why individual rights should be protected over common welfare is the right to a trial itself would not in fact endanger anyone. If Hamdi was found to be guilty of a crime, he would merely be appointed with a fair and reasonable jail time. If he was found innocent, it would be very easy to assign an ankle monitor to him, which would alert others of his potential danger and provide a way to track his activities.

Sample Response #3

• Finally, the General Welfare of America today calls for the protection of the citizens. It would be in the best interest of the community if Atkins got the death penalty. He is a risk of future dangerousness, a proven risk to the community. He has a history of being violent and has committed many crimes, ending up in jail more than once. One of the most important facts in this case is that Atkins made a confession to one of his former cell-mates.

Sample Response #3

• Finally, the General Welfare of America today calls for the protection of the citizens. It would be in the best interest of the community if Atkins got the death penalty. He is a risk of future dangerousness, a proven risk to the community. He has a history of being violent and has committed many crimes, ending up in jail more than once. One of the most important facts in this case is that Atkins made a confession to one of his former cell-mates.

How do I write a Common Good

Statement?

Occasion-Position Statement

•While the right to bear arms could be interpreted as the right to own and keep weapons, the safety of the community should be considered when we think about gun control.

•While the right to bear arms could be interpreted as the right to own and keep weapons, the safety of the community should be considered when we think about gun control.

Occasion (Topic)

Position (Common Good)

Your Turn• Issue: Freedom of Speech

•Occasion:

• Position:

Sentence Starters1. It will be best for everybody….2. The community will be…3. All of us….4. The people….5. Society as a while would

benefit…

Highlight

•Thesis•Background Information•Evidence

•Analysis•Citations•Rebuttal•Conclusion

When you are finished, complete the graphic organizer for Essay Sample 1