| That is fine, I began this by defining a difference. "The Common Good" is traditionally understood to refer to the aim of government, i.e., it acts to pursue the common good. If one thinks that governmental action is generally harmful, than one does not subscribe to the traditional understanding of "The Common Good" as a guide to policy. "Common good" is understood not in terms of universally distributed benefits, but in terms of those policies generally conducive to making society markedly better, by making it more humane, more just, better educated, healthier, etc. Libertarians may trust that private transactions alone will have the desirable results, but conservatives do not. Conservatives, for example, believe that the government is best suited to provide infrastructure, such as harbors, canals, and roads. They believe that the government is properly the "insurer of last resort", for example, in providing emergency aid to hurricane and flood victims. They believe that government properly sets a floor to how far people are allowed to fall, economically, providing subsistence, rather than letting people die in the streets, or making beggary common, even if they set requirements to guard against indolence. These are but a few examples...... |
